PCI to harmonise curricula across Asia

Gireesh Chandra Prasad G I - Mumbai

Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is working towards harmonising curricula in institutions across Asia to ensure greater education and employment opportunities with less procedural hassles in the region, president of Asian Association of Schools of Pharmacy (AASP) and PCI B Suresh told Express Pharma Pulse.

‘‘Once the essential qualification and training are harmonised, students from one country in the region will not need to sit through local board exams in another country or tests like Graduate Research Examination (GRE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for M Pharm admission. Also, it would render exchange of professionals and faculty easier,’’ Suresh said.

The Japanese, Chinese and the Indian systems of medicine are quite different although they are plant-based. Harmonisation would result in more books and training in these systems for students from different countries, he said.

AASP would be holding the first three-day conference in Beijing from June 4, 2004, when the board members would be elected.

The PCI president said the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) would follow up at all levels the ‘Pharma Vision Charter 2020’ chalked out during the recent Indian Pharmaceutical Congress in Chennai for uplifting the pharmacy profession.

The charter also envisages training programmes for pharmacists on prescribing practices, professional ethics and drug development. The next meeting of the IPA in Mumbai would focus on improving the pharmacy profession.

Tamil Nadu to set up drug info centre

Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council (TNPC) will set up a drug information centre like those in neighbouring states to provide drug information including irrational combinations to medical practitioners, pharmacists and the public. TNPC Registrar T Ilango told EPP the council would take up the institution of the centre with the PCI president who is also heading TNPC and said he was hopeful of the centre coming into existence by April next year. The council would also conduct refresher courses for pharmacists more often, he said.