TN DCA issues circular asking pharmacists in medical shops to wear white coat and badges
Although provisions of the Pharmacy Practice Regulations (PPR) 2015 are not there in the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act 1940 but are framed under the Pharmacy Act 1948, the steps now being taken by the drugs control administration (DCA) in Tamil Nadu in a motive to strengthen the dispensing activities in pharmacies are completely agreeing with the provisions of the PPR.
In a circular issued to the chemists and druggists associations, pharmacist bodies and all other dealers of pharma, the director of the DCA, M Vijayalekshmi insisted that all the pharmacists in the medical shops should wear white coat and the badges issued by the pharmacy council, while on duty. The dealers have been informed to limit the time span of the pharmacist’s job within eight hours per day.
The department has strictly wanted the retail medical shop owners to ensure presence of registered pharmacists in all the medical stores. Further it has instructed all pharmacies to install air-conditioners.
Another instruction to the shop owners is that they should give the dispensing staff proper salaries for eight hours work. The pharmacists dispensing the medicines should explain to the patients or the persons who buy the drugs about the prescription, the details about the drug and how to use it. To explain the nature of work and how to run the pharmacies as per rules, the director has called a meeting of dealers and pharmacists on February 18th in Madurai.
Speaking to Pharmabiz, M Vijayalekshmi said the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA) has been wanting to call a meeting of all medical shop owners and inform the pharmacist associations to direct the working pharmacists to attend the meeting. She said her office has also sent circulars to all the pharmacist bodies wanting them to attend the Madurai meeting. According to the DC, this initiative is part of ensuring dispensing by registered pharmacists and raising the status of the pharmacists.
“We act as a mediator only. If a person goes to a medical shop and asks for some medicines he should get some positive energy from an impression that the medicine has been dispensed by a qualified person. If the pharmacists are paid properly and their work time is fixed, they will automatically wear the white apron and the badge issued by the registration council. Further, the pharmacists must advise the patient or the person who buys medicines from him on how to use the drugs and how to keep them at home. Actually this is the basic job of the pharmacist. This will create a good impact among the public about the pharmacy profession and the services of the pharmacists”, said the director.
When Pharmabiz spoke to Trichy Manoharan, president of the TNCDA, he said letters have been sent to all retailers, wholesalers and to the associations of pharmacists in all the districts and urged them to take part in the meeting. He said the meeting is called on the direction of the DCA director. Madurai has been selected because it is the central part of the state.
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