SKCDA hails draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023 a step in right direction
Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 08:00 Hrs [IST]
The Suvarna Karnataka Chemists & Distributors Association (SKCDA) has hailed the draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023, released by the Union health ministry on November 14, and has termed it as a step in right direction.
The Association has been communicating to the central government authorities to work towards this. Stating that the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and the State Pharmacy Councils have been constituted under the obsolete enactment, the Pharmacy Act 1948, Ashokswamy Heroor, vice-president & chairman legal cell, SKCDA said that it now has limited ambition of making better provision for the regulation of the pharmacy profession and practice of pharmacy through the constitution of pharmacy councils.
The new National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023 should focus on appointment of inspectors to evaluate the applicant institutions for approval. There should be a responsible, permanent council of experts for this purpose, rather than appointing one inspector for individual applications. Also the examining authorities should efficiently approve examinations, he added.
There is need to ensure that in the new Bill there must have appropriate provision to impose monetary penalty over the erring institutions. This is because Sections 7 and 25 have been the main culprits, responsible for all malpractices in the earlier Act. Even though the member term is for 5 years, these Sections enable them to enjoy perpetual membership, said Heroor.
Further, there is no bar on contesting again in the election or for re-nomination or re-appointment. Same set of people continue in different capacities. In Karnataka, the last election was held about 22 years back. The Council is still valid by virtue of Sections 25(1), 25 (5) and Section 25(6). We are looking for a fool proof, inexpensive and convenient electronic method for the elections to be mandated in the Act, he pointed out.
We hope that the National Pharmacy Commission Act, 2023 will give no scope for life time memberships to the State Pharmacy Councils or even face financial deficit. There Act should put in a system to increase the registration and renewal fees. There should be a responsible authority to redress these grievances of the registered pharmacists, said Heroor.
The Bill should bring in a mechanism to ensure quality, equitable and affordable pharmacy education to produce high quality pharmacy professionals. There should be attention to carry out research to develop new medicines develop new vaccines and lifesaving drugs.
India is the pharmacy of the world. It is high time the government brings in suitable reforms and surveillance in place to closely monitor admission to pharmacy colleges, inspectors to assess the quality of infrastructure, put in place a competent teaching staff with a dynamic curriculum across diploma to Pharm D.
There should be an offence clause to penalise the unapproved, unauthorised, substandard and bogus pharmacy colleges. This will go a long way in protecting public and upholding the standard of pharmacy education, In the punishment clauses of the earlier Act, Section 41,42 & 43, imprisonment of 3 years must be made mandatory, even for the 1st offence. The accounts of the Councils must be subjected to annual audit, by an authorised authority and a copy of the report should be submitted to the state and Central government, he said.
The obsolete Pharmacy Act 1948 should be scraped and a new enactment on the lines of the National Medical Commission Act-2019, to be called as The National Pharmacy Commission Act, 2022″ should be enacted, said Heroor. *Pharmabiz weekly
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