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AWARENESS ABOUT ROLE OF PHARMACISTS IN HEALTH CARE

Debasish BhattacharjeeB.Pharm, M.Tech (Pharma), PGDHCHM, PhD (Scholar)West Bengal Progressive Pharmacist Association

Pharmacists play vital role in healthcare. But it is not

actually focused. General masses are totally ignorant about

actual role of Pharmacists in health care. Today due to

development of Pharmacy education and advancement of

Pharmaceutical Technology qualified Pharmacists from

Diploma to Doctorate level are coming out from Pharmacy

institutes. They are engaged in Research, manufacture,

Quality Assurance, Drugs Control Administration, Pharmacy

Education, Hospital and Community Pharmacy. Since the

Hospital and Community Pharmacists play direct role with

patient, so the services of other categories of Pharmacists are

remained unrecognized and unfocused. Though for making

awareness National Pharmacy Week is being celebrated by

our Pharmacy Associations and fraternity about 50 years

back but still the proper awareness has not been made

among the masses.

At the same time in general public feels Hospital Pharmacy

means dispensing of medicines in a hospital and same in

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case of Community Pharmacy. The general opinion of masses

is that a highly knowledgeable and qualified person is

managing a drug store / retail drug shop. So they go and ask

medicines for treatment of common diseases from them .But

actually it is not so. Qualified Pharmacists are rarely available

at drug store Name of Pharmacist is there for sake of drug

License only on paper. Whereas as per Drug Rules Licence is

obtained by showing engagement of Pharmacist in Retail

drug store only. So it is to be ensured. Also the proper

awareness about Pharmacist is still to be done. Qualified

Pharmacists are only able to deliver quality Pharmaceutical

Care services to patients.

As per Drugs and Cosmetics Acts and Rules the Drug License

is to be taken from State Drugs Control Dept. for sale, store,

distribution, dispensing, exhibition, manufacture, import etc.

and it covers all hospitals and Nursing Homes also but

exemptions are provided to Government Hospitals only under

Schedule K of Drugs & Cosmetics Rule 1945( for store,

dispensing & distribution only) provided they employ

Qualified Pharmacists and follow Drugs Rules for storage,

record and inspection by Drugs Inspector etc. The support of

Drugs Control Department is needed for proper enactment of

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Drugs and Cosmetics Acts and Rules throughout India. Then

automatically importance of Hospital and Community

Pharmacists and Pharmacy would be established among

general masses.

Today Medication therapies and their delivery systems are

becoming more and more complex. Now-a-days market is

flooded with potent drugs, new drugs, costly drugs and non-

conventional advanced drug delivery system. Also there is

erosion in patient care, much more medication-error, more

hospitalization, more stay of patients, more costly treatment,

irrational drug therapy etc. These are due to wrong handling

of drugs, improper patient counseling, adverse drug reaction,

medication error, lack of drug information center, lack of

quality assurance of drugs and improper dispensing of

medicines in inward & outdoor etc. Now due to advancement

of Pharmacy curriculum and Pharmaceutical Technology, the

hospital pharmacy services are much more upgraded, which

on implementation will provide Better Health care to patients

with less than half budget. Earlier hospital pharmacists role

were limited to storage and dispensing. After Hathi and

several committees recommendations, some improvements

were made in few hospitals of our country. But still the

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patients are deprived from Hospital Pharmacy Services. It is

urgently needed to provide Pharmaceutical care in each

hospital of India.

Today the service of Pharmacists as Patients Counselor in

society is unrevealed and unfocused. A Qualified Pharmacist

is competent enough to do Pharmacy practice Patient

counseling as Patients Counselor due to their Pharmacy

education and experience.

The above statements were even corroborated by our Hon.

President of India Smt. Pratibha D.Patil in her Speech at PCI

National Seminar held on 9th & 10th July10. The relevant

Para are quoted as:

Now-a-days for example medicine options have multiplied

manifolds thus raising the complexity of therapies.

Pharmacists have a unique role to play in evaluating these

options. Within the team of healthcare professionals, trained

pharmacists would have the knowledge and skills to prevent,

detect monitor and resolve medicines related problems. As

the public demands more information on medicines and their

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effects, to make more informed decisions, Pharmacists take

on a more active role in patient counseling

While seeking medical help, we think of a doctor or a nurse

or a medical technician, but seldom does a Pharmacist come

to mind. This needs correction. The PCI should work towards

creating awareness about the very important role of

Pharmacists in the well being and health of an individual.