Reserve pharma jobs for pharma graduates: G Darmadata

The Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA) Hyderabad, is working towards ensuring that the jobs in the industry would be reserved for pharmacy graduates and not for other graduates.

The IPGA is also planning to organise a national level seminar on the trends in the pharmacy industry next month.

Speaking to Business Standard, G Darmadata, president of the IPGA, said: "The pharmacy industry has grown leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. From Rs 16,000 crore in 1997, the pharmacy sector today is worth Rs 40,000 crore. And one-third of the bulk drugs that are produced in the country and Rs 16,000 crore worth of formulated drugs that are sold in the country are from Andhra Pradesh. So how can graduates from other backgrounds take away jobs that are reserved for pharmacy," he said.

Criticising the Drug and Cosmetics Law of 1945, he said that under rule 71(1) and 76(1), professionals from other areas could opt for pharmacy jobs as they were not many who could be employed. But from a few pharmacy colleges in 1945, today there many colleges in the country.

"For example, in Andhra Pradesh the number of pharmacy colleges have gone up from two in 1990 to 32 colleges now, from where approximately 2,000 graduates pass out every year," Darmadata said.

He also said that national IPGA has submitted a memorandum in this regard and hoped that the new government after the elections would seriously consider amending the law.

He also said that most of the states need a change with regard to the licensing and controlling authority. "At present, in many states the licensing and controlling authority is in the hands of IAS or IPS officers. This is again a violation of the law. They should be shifted and deserving candidates need to be appointed," he said.

He also said that the National Human Rights Commission order that every hospital in district headquarters must employ people who are trained in hospital pharmacy to monitor drug control has also not been implemented yet.

Responding to a question on how many years would it take to implement the changes, Darmadata said that it could take three to four years.

He also said that the state government had not yet handed over the promised 2,100 acres of land for the pharma zone, near Vishakapatnam. Darmadata said that this project which was supposed to have finished by 2004 now would be complete only by 2006 if work is done at a rapid speed.

Darmadata said that that the proposed seminar would have eminent speakers form across the country and would deal on the issue of changing trends in the industry. He said that the association was planning to have an international seminar next year.