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AWARENESS ABOUT ROLE OF PHARMACISTS IN HEALTH CARE

Debasish Bhattacharjee
B.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

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 awareness about Pharmacist is still to be done. 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 store, exemptions are provided to Government Hospitals only under Schedule K of Drugs & Cosmetics Rule 1945( for dispensing & distribution only) provided they employ the proper Qualified

Pharmacists are only able to deliver quality Pharmaceutical

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

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 nonconventional 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

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 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 to do Pharmacy practice Patient counseling as Patients Counselor due to their Pharmacy

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.