Indore : With the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruling that only registered pharmacists can run medical stores, pharmacy colleges are slated to revive their enrollment status.
The pharmacy stream was losing its sheen for quite some time. Now, more students are expected to seek admission in these courses.
Rajesh Sharma, Head of School of Pharmacy, DAVV, asserted that this will lead to more enrollments in the pharmacy courses run by several private colleges.
“It is a welcome decision. The need for credible pharmacists can never go down and this move by the HC will lead to more and more students opting for these courses,” he said. He also expressed hope that this will enable pharmacists to communicate better with their customers as they will be well-informed, owing to registration with the PCI. To run a pharmacy course, a college must have recognition from Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) as well as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Currently, about 18 colleges are offering these courses in the city. Out of these, only half are recognized by both the PCI and AICTE.
The students, who wish to pursue a career in Pharmacy, must make sure that the college that they are taking admission in has the recognition from PCI.
Children of those who are running a medical store sans the mandatory pharmacist norm will particularly opt for these courses, as they would want to keep their family business running.
The ruling that came on Friday, had said only those pharmacists who are registered with the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) can run medical stores, and not proprietors.
