PharmD Course in India - Prospects & Constraints

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I agree with all the points and the spirit of the PCI in starting this course.but one thing that is true is that the first few batches of this course will definately find it hard to get a decent job startup as it will be difficult for new hospitals to make a way for them and provide them a heap of work to make.Whereas it is also equally true that the success of the PharmD course is heavily dependent upon the performance of these first few batches in the real environment where they have to struggle hard to make a proper post for them and coming generations and that can be possible only if they prove to be more qualitative in their respective work area in comparision to the current trend where doctors only are handling the area. Regards, A.Rehman NagoriM.Pharm (Pharma Chem) ScholarNMIMS Univ, Mumbai Visit Pharma-World WebsiteFrom: Geer M. Ishaq <ishaqgeer@...>To:

netrum Sent: Saturday, 6 December, 2008 10:28:35 PMSubject: PharmD Course in India - Prospects & Constraints

SUMMARY ACCEPTABILITY OF PHARMD IN INDIA

INTRODUCTION: A PharmD (Doctor of pharmacy) programme is a 6 years program during which 5 years is academic session and final year is completely bound to internship in hospital and Eligibility for PharmD is 10+2 (Med/ Non Med) or D.Pharm . The PharmD degree program requires at least 2-years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by 4-academic years (or 3-calendar years) of professional study. Pharmacy colleges and schools may accept students directly from high school for both

the pre-pharmacy and pharmacy curriculum, or after completion of the college course prerequisites

APPROVAL OF COURSE: The Indian Health Ministry vide letter dt. 13th March 2008 has approved the Pharm.D. Regulations. These regulations have been published in the Gazette of India, Part III, Section 4 dt. 10th May, 2008. This development heralds India ’s entry into pharmacy practice training & education in a big way.

PCI ABOUT PHARMD: Dr. B.Suresh (President of PCI) in Pharm.D. Awareness program held at Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences on 1st March 2008. The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) decided to introduce PharmD (post-bacclaureate degree) courses for the first time in the country in the coming academic year. This decision has been appreciated in a previous letter to the editor entitled “ India to Introduce Five-year Doctor of Pharmacy program†in AJPE. However, it is imperative to evaluate the state of pharmacy education in India before fully supporting this decision. PCI approved intake of only 30 students per batch to maintain the quality

of program. Proper integrated hospital facilities are mandatory for getting approval for this course by the college. There are more than 600 pharmacy institutes in India producing over 13,000 pharmacy graduates every year. Pharmacy practice experiences are more or less non-existent with particularly no emphasis on pharmacotherapeutic s and clinical pharmacy.

PharmD program was first introduced in the United States ; the curriculum is modified to be useful for that system, having more training, attachments, and clinical studies.

GOALS OF PHARMD PROGRAM: The professional pharmacy curriculum is designed to produce pharmacists who have the abilities and skills that are necessary to achieve outcomes related to, Providing pharmaceutical care to patients, Developing and managing medication distribution and control systems, Managing the pharmacy, Promoting public health, Providing drug information and education, Major Areas of Instruction, INSTITUTES OF PHARMD: 6 years Pharm. D. program was allowed to run in 22 institutes all over India . The following are the colleges offering Pharm. D.

With Regards

Dr. Geer M. Ishaq

Assistant Professor

Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences

University of Kashmir

Srinagar-190006 (J & K)

Ph: 9419970971, 9906673100

Website: http://ishaqgeer. googlepages. com

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[Guest guest]

Dear Members:

Here is another letter from AJPE on PharmD degree in developing countries written by our very own netrumian Shazia Jamshed. She has also put forth some of her views on this topic in an earlier post. More feedback is requested.

With regards

Dr. Geer M. Ishaq

Assistant Professor

Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences

University of Kashmir

Srinagar-190006 (J & K)

Ph: 9419970971, 9906673100

Website: http://ishaqgeer.googlepages.com

The PharmD Degree in Developing Countries

Shazia Jamshed M Phil, Zaheer Ud Din Babar PhD, and Imran Masood MBA IT

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

To the Editor. A doctor of pharmacy degree program must have a multidisciplinary curriculum that produces pharmacists with sufficient mental acuity to differentiate their position from that of simply dispensers of drugs to that of providers of pharmaceutical care. The PharmD program in the United States is the epitome of the practice-based model as it evolved from industrial and compounding pharmacy to a more patient-focused program. Now, as there is an upsurge in clinical pharmacy, many developing countries have expanded their pharmacy curriculum to a 5- or 6-year program that issues a doctorate of pharmacy degree. However, it is still to be determined whether these countries are genuinely interested in a practice-based model or simply want their graduates to enroll in the US system. Let us look at the situation in various developing countries.

Recently, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) decided to introduce PharmD (post-bacclaureate degree) courses for the first time in the country in the coming academic year. This decision has been appreciated in a previous letter to the editor entitled “India to Introduce Five-year Doctor of Pharmacy program†in AJPE.1 However, it is imperative to evaluate the state of pharmacy education in India before fully supporting this decision. There are more than 600 pharmacy institutes in India producing over 13,000 pharmacy graduates every year. Pharmacy practice experiences are more or less non-existent with particularly no emphasis on pharmacotherapeutics and clinical pharmacy. There may be exceptions like Jadavpur University and JSS College of Pharmacy. 2

As the principal author of this letter and a former lecturer in one of the pharmacy colleges in Delhi, I want to share my experience and observation on the infrastructure of pharmacy colleges, especially those in north India. The pharmacy colleges are in a debilitating state. Their curricula are devised by highly non-technical personnel who have no idea about clinical pharmacy or pharmacy practice. Most of the pharmacy colleges do not have any alternatives to animal experiments as software for undergraduate education. However, they are busy producing postgraduates and PhDs, obviously in bulk. More or less all of the pharmacy colleges are recognized by PCI as well as the All India Council of Technical Education.

In Pakistan, a universal PharmD program has been started; however, questions have been raised regarding inadequacies within the curriculum. There are also issues in terms of lack of experienced academicians and practice-based facilities. It is imperative to revisit these issues because, since its inception, pharmacy education in Pakistan has not contributed in any notable way to healthcare policy.3

In Iran, although implemented, the PharmD degree does not provide pharmacy students with clinical insight through active participation in patient care at the interdisciplinary level.4 According to Iranian academcians, 5 pharmacy education and pharmaceutical services in Iran must be in accordance with social needs. In Korea, though the curriculum seems clinically orientated, the induction of a 6-year curriculum in pharmacy education is likely to cause educational inequality and may ignite a struggle for power between pharmacists and physicians. 6

Clinical pharmacy promotes rationale drug use and plays an important role in patient care. However, in developing countries, clinical pharmacy is promoted as an isolated single entity and not related to a stable population-based pharmaceutical system.7 In the United States and in other Western countries where clinical pharmacy was established, a stable drug distribution system was in place in the hospitals and drug regulatory authorities were efficient. However, how developing countries will promote the PharmD degree and clinical pharmacy in the absence of good governance of pharmaceuticals it is still a question mark.

According to the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), there must be well-planned execution of good pharmacy practice in developing countries. Thus, the implementation of the PharmD program must largely emphasize pharmaceutical care encompassing areas of patient care such as hospital and clinical pharmacy. It should not be used as a tool for the pharmacist to be employed internationally or as a sole instrument of professional power and status. If it is so, then implementation of the PharmD degree is certainly questionable and merits justification. We hope that the FIP as well as other national pharmacy councils would take heed of this situation.

Shazia Jamshed, M PhilZaheer Ud Din Babar, PhDImran Masood, MBA ITSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia

REFERENCES

1.

Khan Ghilzai,Naushad M.,PhD; Dutta,Arjun P,PhD. India to introduce five-year Pharm D program [letter]. Am J Pharm Educ. 2007;71((2))Article 38

2.

Parthasarathi G, Ramesh M, Nyfort-Hansen K, Nagavi BG. Clinical pharmacy in a South Indian teaching hospital. Ann Pharmacother. 2002;36((5)):927–32.

3.

Babar ZU. Pharmacy education and practice in Pakistan [letter]. Am J Pharm Educ. 2005;69((5))Article 105.

4.

Salamzadeh J. Clinical pharmacy in Iran: where do we stand?. Iranian J Pharm Res. 2004;3:1–2.

5.

Mosaddegh M. Revision of Iranian pharmacy education, an idea or a necessity?. Iranian J Pharm Res. Available at: http://www.ijpr-online.com/Docs/20021/IJPRe001.htm. Accessed September 5, 2007

6.

Yang E, Shin TJ, Kim S, Go Y, Lee S. The pedagogical validity for a six years curriculum in pharmacy education. Korean J Med Educ. 17((3)):225–38.

7.

Babar ZU. Defining clinical pharmacy in Asia [posting]. Essential Drugs. 2007. Available at: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug/archive/200706/ Accessed September 5, 2007

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