|
Pharmacy qualification to drive big job avenues in new COVID-19 era
|
|
Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
June 18 , 2020
|
|
|
A qualification in pharmacy will propel a slew of job opportunities for the qualified candidates. In the new COVID-19 era, several avenues are opening up for pharmacists not just in hospital settings but research, pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, marketing and medical coding.
From drug discovery to pharmacovigilance, drug dispensing and distribution, the pharmacist plays a vital role in healthcare. For instance, during the COVID-19 lockdown, every pharmacy outlet and pharma company continued to operate to ensure medicines were available for patients. This proves that whatever a qualified pharmacy candidate does has a positive impact on people’s lives.
“From an industry standpoint, we have suggested to the policy makers that a short internship for pharmacy students should begin in the first year of B Pharm. This will give the required exposure to students to comprehend the nuances of an industry-work environment and plan for specialization right from the start of his pharmacy academic phase’, said Sunil Attavar, president, Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (KDPMA).
Speaking at a webinar organized by the Karnataka Registered Pharmacists Association (KRPA) and RR College of Pharmacy on Careers in Pharmacy, Attavar who spoke on ‘Expectations from the Pharma Industry’, said this COVID-19 pandemic makes it evident that the world is changing fast and so pharmacy students too must have the time and intention to stay tuned to the latest developments which has now transformed pharmaceutical and medical sciences. Technology has enabled not just remote production plant monitoring but brought in the convenience of teleconsultation and teleprescription to patients. Here, a pharmacist’s presence in virtual mode is key as he is the critical component of the healthcare chain.
Delving on the huge potential for pharmacy candidates to pursue a rewarding career, Dr Mahesh Burande, honorary, director, Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Pune, said that the world is looking at India which is a superpower in pharmaceuticals. Every third tablet prescribed globally is from India. This sector has shaped the success of pharma entrepreneurs like Sun Pharma., Zydus, Glenmark. Dr Reddys among others who have ensured that drugs manufactured from India are for the world. Therefore, the jobs avenues span the entire spectrum not merely conventional manufacture to marketing but across retail-wholesale outlets, repackaging of pharmaceuticals, medicinal plant cultivation, public test labs, pharma consultancy, contract and clinical research companies.
A career in pharmacy is promising and the industry recognizes knowledge and skill while fixing the remuneration. For those who are keen to pursue pharma entrepreneurship, the satisfaction lies not just in revenue generation but being an employment generator, said Dr Burande.
Joining in from the US was Dr Srinivas Gurram, vice president and head, regulatory affairs, CQA Lead, US Operations, Zydus Pharmaceuticals who noted that India could make a mark in the global markets because of its high quality standards that could be approved by the stringent global regulatory authorities. Pharmacy candidates can look at regulatory affairs provided their first job allows working on the shop-floor as this experience is the take-off point to a potential career growth curve.
Sunil Chiplunkar, member KRPA, and vice president, business development, Group Pharmaceuticals said that lack of focus on pharma marketing is proving costly. Marketing not only creates maximum jobs but helps chalk out a career growth curve. Kaushik Devaraju, president, KRPA contended internship an opportunity to spot talent for the industry to ensure easy available workforce.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOPICS
|
That foods might provide therapeutic benefits is clearly not a new concept. ...
|
|
|
|
|