Two-year pharmacy bridge course planned

Updated on: Monday, November 22, 2010

Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) proposes to introduce a two-year degree bridge course for diploma holders in pharmacy for upgrading their knowledge.

The course would be held in the evening hours and weekends to help those working in medical shops as pharmacists, Council President B Suresh said.

The course would benefit about six lakh diploma holders.

The Union Health Ministry had already in principle agreed for the course and it would begin from the next academic year, he said.

The degree would help pharmacists have better service conditions and job opportunities, including in research field, he said.

The council, as part of its three-pronged approach to make pharmacy education and profession more qualitative and accountable, was making efforts to set certain quality standards for 1,000 diploma and degree colleges in the field.

A National Framework for Quality Assurance in Pharmacy Education had been formed and Rs 100 crore had been allocated for upgradation of various institutes, he said.

A sum of Rs.60 crore would be used for upgradation of government diploma institutes to degree colleges, he said adding R.20 crore would be spent for setting up a Drug Information Centre in every state.

The remaining Rs.20 crore would be earmarked for continuing education programme for pharmacy teachers.

Two-year pharmacy bridge course planned

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