Pharmacists - The Doctors behind the screens

The distribution of medicines should always take place under the observation of a pharmacist.

To ensure that the correct medicines were given to the concerned and also to ensure the overall health of the people of India, the top leaders of our country drafted a rule called the "Pharmacist Rule' in 1948, which was then passed by our Parliament.

But over the course of time, the rule was only partially implemented, which led to the pharmacists facing a lack of job opportunities and a financial crisis.

Because of the increasing financial burden, a lot of them were unable to even set up a pharmacy, so they resorted to renting out their certificates.

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Pharmacist: A Major contributor

Pharmacists are the major contributors to ensuring the good health of the general public in the long run.

Over the past few years, new medicines have been developed and manufactured by pharmacists to combat new diseases and health complications.

They have been working nonstop to tackle issues like C-19 and other major health concerns.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry has kept pace with its foreign competitors by finding new medicines for major health ailments, which is highly appreciable.

A lot of essential factors, such as preparation of medicines, their quality and other associated parameters, proper ways of medical storage, and informing patients regarding medicine dosage and when to take them and their effects if taken wrongly, fall under a pharmacist's role.

Pharmacist: A bridge between a doctor and a patient

A pharmacist primarily acts as a bridge between a doctor and a patient. Identifying the issues and diseases of a patient is the job of a doctor.

The quantity of medicine to take, timings, and other major factors are conveyed to the patient by the pharmacist.

When you look at the bigger picture, the pharmacist is the doctor behind the screen.

In emergency cases, if the main doctor is not present, the pharmacist can take over in primary health care centers and conduct the preliminary diagnosis.

The Shankarrao Chavan parliamentary sub-committee addressed the above issue in parliament and spoke about the acceptance of pharmacists in the primary health center.

In 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Rural Health Mission reiterated the importance of pharmacists.

They said that they should be trained and sent across all rural and urban areas to help and support people.

State of pharmacies in hospitals

Jaisukh Lal Hathi, Justice Lentin, and Bajaj lent their hands to help and improve the state of pharmacies in hospitals.

A study group was formed under the leadership of Ajith Prasad Jain. They recommended in 1966 that even in small hospitals, a minimum of three pharmacists be present.

If the desired final results have to be achieved, the pharmacist definitely has to be involved, as only the pharmacist knows which medicine is for which disease and how they react.

Pharmacists can also look into the medicines prescribed by the doctor and suggest any changes if needed.

Importance of pharmacists

Over the course of time, we have forgotten the importance of pharmacists, and that has led to medical distribution being all over the place.

This has in turn given rise to a lot of health issues and complications.

The dosage of medicines is something that is primarily known only to a pharmacist. Countries like Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and other European and Arab countries like Saudi Arabia have always placed pharmacists on a higher pedestal than other countries.

In such countries, the doctor decides on the medicine and the pharmacist takes care of the duration and dosage of the medicine.

But in our country, it is completely different. Pharmacists and doctors have no connection. It is of paramount importance that medical distribution happens primarily under the supervision of a pharmacist.

Government hospitals, public health care centers, district health care centers, and village health care centers all have pharmaceutical positions that need to be filled.

Any vacancies should be looked into and immediately filled with the right people. Also, interest-free loan opportunities can be looked into to help pharmacists set up their own pharmacies.

A little encouragement and support go a really long way.

I wish all my fellow pharmacists across the globe a happy pharmacist's day.

By G. Koteshwar RaoThe author is:National president, DCO INDIA DRUGS CONTROL WELFARE ASSOCIATION. President: Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA), Telangana,Chairman: Pallavi Memorial Trust, Hyderabad

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and TheHealthMaster.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. TheHealthMaster.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person / organization directly or indirectly.

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