India needs biometric cards for pharmacists to implement efficient drug dispensing model: Dr BR Jagashetty
India can transform the landscape of drug dispensing across its 800,000 pharmacy outlets in a safe and efficient manner if the Union government brings out biometric cards for registered pharmacists pan-India. This should be offered only to the qualified registered pharmacists who could work in pharmacy outlets on a voluntary basis, said Dr BR Jagashetty, former National Adviser (Drugs Control) to Union health ministry and former Karnataka State Drugs Controller.
Going by the shortage of pharmacists across the outlets in drug dispensing and to provide advice on safe and effective medicines use, there is a need to expand the bandwidth of working exposure in pharmacies. This is where the qualified- registered pharmacists already employed across the pharma industry, pharmacy colleges or clinical trial centres and healthcare facilities with higher education like B.Pharm, M.Pharm, Pharm-D, PhD etc. can chip in their expertise on voluntary basis by working in pharmacy outlets during weekends or out-of-office hours, he added.
This practice is in vogue in the western world and that Dr Jagashetty too observed during his visit abroad where a pharmacist working in a big retail outlet opted for part-time service in a pharmacy outlet with his pharmacy card. “Therefore it is high time that India also requires to implement such thing,” he said.
In order to ensure a transparent and streamlined process of such a part-time voluntary service by the qualified-registered pharmacists, the central government through Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) may think of devising a method to bring out a bio-metric pharma card on similar lines of an employee card embedded with a chip to be used by any pharmacy graduate or post graduate, PhD holder and Pharm-D candidate except those working in government like the Drugs Inspectors or Government Analyst etc. to be able to work in a pharmacy outlet on hourly basis during their free time . This move will be a game-changer in the pharmacy operations and profession of pharmacy in the country, Dr Jagashetty told Pharmabiz.
Even Digital India is seen to empower the knowledge economy where pharmaceutical sector is an intrinsic part of it. So it is relevant that a biometric card is the first step to modernize and implement an efficient drug dispensing model across the country The need of the hour is to have as much of expertise in drug dispensing in an age of an educated and well-informed patient, noted Dr Jagashetty.
Regarding the Drugs and Cosmetic Act or Rules, Dr Jagashetty said that it does not restrict a pharmacist for any particular outlet though it mandates the supervision of sale of Sch. H, H1, X and prescription medicines by a registered pharmacist. Therefore a registered pharmacist can work anywhere during his free time on hourly basis to supervise the sale of such medicines and in addition advise the patient suitably about medicine, various interactions etc., if any, including the counselling, wherever needed.
“Therefore a qualified registered pharmacist employed in an industry or academia can also be able to work in the pharmacy outlet during his free time, thereby enhancing the profession too”, stated Dr. Jagashetty.
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