Ranchi: Over 300 pharmacists, under the aegis of Pharmacist Foundation, staged a demonstration near Raj Bhavan on Wednesday to press for a nine-point charter of demands.
The demands include immediately filling up over 1,500 vacant posts of pharmacists in hospitals across the state, increasing minimum appointment age from 18 to 45 years, organising a bridge course for pharmacists on the lines of the gazette notification of Union government under Pharmacy Practice Regulation Act 2015, among others.
On the unusual demand of hiking the minimum age to 45, pharmacists reasoned that as state vacancies had not been declared for 18 years, many veterans never got a chance.
Some of the other demands are immediate closure of illegal medicine shops, legal action against fake pharmacists, increasing monthly salary of pharmacists from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000, stopping appointments through outsourcing and issuing appointment notice for vacant posts every six months.
Pharmacists carried on the protest from 11am to 5pm.
According to national secretary and state in-charge of the foundation Jitendra Sharma, over 4,000 pharmacists across the state are sitting idle without jobs, while those with no training in the field are running drug stores and handing medicines at cost of patients' lives.
"Doctors prescribe medicines, but the role of pharmacist is equally important. They are authorised persons to explain a patient how and when medicines should be taken. But due to the lax attitude of the state government, pharmacists are neglected," he said.
Contacted, health secretary Nidhi Khare said she would look into the matter. "Action would be taken against untrained people working at medicine shops," she said.
via The Telegraph India
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