Lokmat News Network
Aurangabad, Nov 30:
The B Pharm degree holders across the country will have to take an exit examination before seeking a certificate as a registered pharmacist since the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) proposed to make exit examination mandatory for four-year pharmacy degree holders.
Talking to this newspaper, Dr Pramod Yeole, the newly appointed president and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and vice-chancellor of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (Bamu), said that the PCI had proposed to make exit examination compulsory for students passing out B Pharm to evaluate knowledge before their entry in the pharmacy industry. He said that the Pharmacy Council submitted a proposal to the union Health Minister recently to revamp the country’s pharmacy education.
It may be noted that the number of pharmacy colleges and candidates has increased in the country during the last few years compared to engineering. Several State-level Pharmacy Councils received complaints about candidates who had lacked basic knowledge of pharmacy even after the completion of an undergraduate degree in pharmacy.
The PCI took serious note of the incidents and proposed to hold a professional test before issuing a registration certificate.
The Council decided to implement the proposed test from this academic year. After passing the degree course, a candidate will have to take the exit examination to be eligible for registration of his/her degree with the State Pharmacy Council.
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Exit Exam for D Pharm already introduced
It has already introduced a similar type of examination for D Pharm candidates in 2018. The examination is called D Pharm Exit Examination Regulations (DPEER).
The PCI has prepared a national action plan to upgrade pharmacy education from its present position to the level of global standards and develop a competent pharmacist workforce of international level. It will collaborate with foreign institutions and health care bodies for generating employment opportunities for Indian pharmacists.
The PCI will launch a web portal with dashboards of registered pharmacists from across the country. The proposal has a digital system for the registration and tracking of pharmacists.
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30 pc seats increased in 2 years
There are more than 3,500 colleges in the country, which have nearly 3 lakh seats of diploma and degree courses. The number of seats increased nearly 30 per cent during the last two years.