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Kerala Health University becomes stumbling block to pharmacy colleges in starting bridge course, ‘B Pharm - Practice'
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
October 15 , 2016
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The Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) has become a stumbling
block to its constituent pharmacy colleges in the state in starting the
bridge course, 'Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy Practice’ (B Pharm
Practice), launched by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) in January
2015, meant for D. Pharm holders.
PCI had introduced the
two-year evening course with a view to increase the professional skills
of the pharmacists and to upgrade their qualification and standard into a
common degree level all over the country.
Even though the PCI
approved and published through gazette notification in January 2015 its
decision to start the bridge course, it is yet to start in Kerala due to
the conservative attitude of the Kerala University of Health Sciences,
said Dr K G Revikumar, the pharmacy academic expert.
According
to the president of Kerala State Pharmacy Council, the efforts taken by
the council to get the course started in 2015 and in 2016 have gone
waste and its recommendations and suggestions are not entertained by the
university despite pressures from pharmacy colleges and expert
faculties. He said universities in the neighboring states like Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu have already given approvals to their affiliated
colleges and the first batch will come out at the end of this academic
year.
Based on the proposals from state pharmacy councils and
academic institutions, the PCI launched the course with emphasize on
pharmacy practice and targeting the working pharmacy diploma holders.
There was the intention that the course would fill the gap between B
Pharm and D Pharm, and also to equate the diploma holders with the B
Pharm graduates. PCI wants to stop the diploma course gradually in the
country and make graduation as the basic qualification of pharmacy
profession.
But, when contacted the vice-chancellor of KUHS, Dr.
MKC Nair, the VC said, as per the university rules the course cannot be
recognized by the university, hence approval cannot be given to conduct
the course. “We will recognize only the full time course and we cannot
admit the evening course as a bachelor degree course. There are several
graduation courses like B Pharm, B Sc Nursing, etc. They are all full
time courses. We will not approve the PCI’s evening course as a degree
course”, said the VC.
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