KSPC urges state govt to direct 24 hour pharmacies to appoint 3 pharmacists for day & night duties

Although the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015 introduced by the Pharmacy Council of India, the same could not be effectively implemented in any of the states. In this context, Kerala state pharmacy council made a proposal that all pharmacies working 24 hours must engage three pharmacists for day and night duties.

The state council made the proposal to the government requesting it to direct the drugs control department and all the pharmacies to hire additional pharmacists as required. If a pharmacy is working only for 12 hours a day, it must hire one additional pharmacist and after eight hours duty by the licensed pharmacist. If the pharmacy, whether it is a medical store located nearby some hospital or a hospital in-house pharmacy and working for 24 hours, it must hire two additional pharmacists.

Informing the government that Food and Drugs Control Administrations in states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are strictly implementing the rules (D&C Rules Section 64 and Pharmacy Act Section 42) and the enforcement officials are inspecting the pharmacies there. Though it is a rule to be mandated by the licensee of the pharmacy as per drug laws, very few medical stores have appointed more than one pharmacist. Unqualified persons are often dispensing the drugs to the patients from these 24 hour pharmacies, said B. Rajan, president of KSPC.

Commenting on the issue, M. Abdul Khader, director of drugs control in Tamil Nadu, said as per rule it is mandatory that the licensee of the 24 hour pharmacy must appoint three pharmacists with 8 hours duty for one pharmacist. He said the names and registration numbers of the three pharmacists have to be mentioned in the application form for license and separate declarations must also be submitted by the trio. Khader further answered to a question that all over Tamil Nadu the drug regulators are inspecting all the 24 hour pharmacies regularly.

Kerala pharmacy council has come out with the proposal because, according to Rajan, most of the 24 hour pharmacies are working with one pharmacist and on many occasions non-pharmacists are dispensing drugs. He said the Pharmacy Practice Regulations strictly mandate the duty time of a pharmacist as eight hours a day, and if a pharmacy wants additional service, it has to hire additional pharmacist. According to him, the state drug department is not concerned of pharmacy act or the services of the pharmacy profession.

Pointing to the implementation of Pharmacy Act, the president of KSPC said, without the support of the drugs control departments the state councils cannot insist the provisions of the act. The DC departments in all the states are opposing appointment of pharmacy inspectors. However, Kerala pharmacy council has appointed pharmacy inspectors in all the districts and steps were taken with the government to implement PPR 2015, but objections are everywhere, he added.