AMARAVATI: In what could be considered a game-changer move in healthcare management in the country, the Centre has cleared decks for appointment of clinical pharmacists in hospitals to take care of drug administration of patients.
This is significant in the wake of widespread complaints about drug mismanagement during Covid-19 where prescription of high doses of steroids and antibiotics resulted in new health disorders among victims.
Now, the Union government has brought an amendment to the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2015, to incorporate a ‘Clinical Pharmacist and Drug Information Pharmacist’ position. This would help graduates of Pharm-D courses to exclusively handle drug administration in hospitals.
Doctor of Pharmacy Association (DPA) welcomed the move of Pharmacy Council of India and the ministry of health and family welfare.
“This is the first step for ensuring that clinical pharmacists get a place in hospitals. We are now going to work with the central and state governments to get it implemented in all hospitals,” Dr Sai Kumar Katam, national president of DPA. He added that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended having a clinical pharmacist in every hospital as per the patient ratio, in order to provide cost effective and safe treatment to patients.
Considered as an important cog in the wheel of the healthcare delivery mechanism, unlike developed countries, the role of clinical pharmacists is less defined in India. The new regulations will add a new dimension to clinical pharmacy practice which has so far remained in the background. Pharmacists will now be able to support patients in the use of medicines besides taking part in clinical decision-making.
“India accounts for 5.2 million injuries annually with medication errors and adverse drug reactions. The need of the hour is to detect and manage adverse drug reactions, assist physicians in individualising the drug dosage regimen,” said Dr Sai Kumar.
