An analysis of the current state of pharma education in India, its successes and shortcomings, as well as measures needed to bridge the gap between the industry and academia
The pharmacy profession in India began in the early 20th century and since then, has undergone several transformations. These changes have had an impact on pharmaceutical education as well.
Tracing the beginnings
The systematic implementation of pharma education in India commenced from 1948, with the enforcement of Pharmacy Act-1948, to set standards and regulate pharmacy education, profession and practice in India. Provisions of the Pharmacy Act are implemented through the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), a statutory body established in 1949. Thus, formal pharma education in India has been prevalent for several decades. Since the late 1980s, due to rapid industrialisation in the pharma sector, privatisation, and economic growth, pharmacy education has been developing faster in India than anywhere in the world. Yet, even today, the pharma education system in India is criticised by industry for lack of regular revision of the syllabus to ensure students are industry ready. Another grouse is that though the use of technology in the pharma industry is growing at a rapid pace, academia finds it difficult to match the pace of industry via revisions of the curriculum. As a result, there is a noticeable gap between industry and academia. To address this issue, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) recently revised and introduced a uniform B Pharm and M Pharm syllabus to meet the needs and expectations of the industry.
Challenges galore
Dr B Suresh
According to Dr B Suresh, President, PCI, pharmacy education in India is presently in a very challenging phase. Due to an increase in the growth of the industry, there is growing need for qualified and highly knowledgeable human resources. As a result, there is now a sudden spurt of interest from students to pursue pharmacy in India. The sudden interest and consequent increase in demand has resulted in a rush to start new pharmacy colleges in India, in an already overcrowded space. This sudden growth has precipitated issues related to the quality of education
being delivered at these institutions."
Dr Mayur Yergeri
Dr Mayur Yergeri, Associate Dean and Professor, SPPSPTM also reiterates, "There are more than 1000 institutions that admit more than 50,000 students to the B Pharm degree programme and more than 700 institutions that train more than 34,000 students in the D Pharm programme. To add to this, we have the Pharm D and M Pharm Programmes where more than 15,000 students are added in these courses. For a country of more than 1.3 billion people, we need this number of healthcare professionals to meet the demands of the healthcare industry for a highly populated country."
Dr G Parthasarathi
"In India, pharma education is still more focused towards pharma sciences, manufacturing quality medicines at affordable prices unlike many developed countries where the focus is more towards pharma practice, preparing them for a direct role in patient care. For example, in the US, Pharm D is the minimum qualification for practicing the profession of pharmacy. Students are trained to be a part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team," informs Dr G Parthasarathi, Dean, Global Engagement and Professor, Pharmacy Practice, JSS University.
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