 "Health Ministry seeks public comments on draft Pharmacy Commission Bill")
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has sought public feedback on the draft National Pharmacy Commission bill which proposes to replace the existing regulatory provisions of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.
The ministry put the draft bill on its website on November 14, seeking comments from the public.
The legislation would replace the Pharmacy Council of India with a new National Pharmacy Commission, to enhance access to quality and affordable pharmacy education. The draft bill calls for enforcing high ethical standards and performing transparent and periodic assessment of pharmacy institutions.
The new pharmacy commission will be headquartered in New Delhi and shall consist of a Chairperson, thirteen ex-officio and fourteen part-time members.
“The Commission shall take all such steps as it may think fit for ensuring coordinated and integrated development of pharmacy education and maintenance of the standards of delivery of services, with periodic revisions, as may be specified by regulations,” the draft bill says.
The bill will allow the union government to constitute three boards, under the overall supervision of the commission, namely the Pharmacy Education Board, the Pharmacy Assessment and Rating Board, and the Pharmacy Ethics and Registration Board. Each board will be led by a director, who will oversee the administrative and financial functioning of the bodies.
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The Pharmacy Education Board will prescribe qualifications, standards for setting up of pharmacy institutions and determine the standards and norms for infrastructure, faculty, and quality of education in pharmacy institutions.
The Pharmacy Assessment and Rating Board will look after the procedure for assessing and rating the pharmacy institutions for their compliance with the standards laid down by the Pharmacy Education Board. It will also have the power to grant permission for the establishment of any new institution.
The Pharmacy Ethics and Registration Board will maintain the National Register for all registered professionals, approve or reject applications for registration of professionals, and regulate professional conduct and promote pharmacy ethics.