Kerala govt seeks possibilities for forming registration council for Ayur B Pharm graduates

Chennai, August 24, 2022:

Exploring ways to establish one registration council for the Ayurveda pharmacy graduates (Ayur B Pharm) on the lines of the state pharmacy council of modern medicines, the government of Kerala has sought suggestions from the Department of Drugs Control Administration under which the Ayurveda drug regulatory wing is functioning.

Further, the government has sought comments from the department of Ayurveda medical education even though it has no direct connection with the pharmacy course. B Pharm Ayurveda programme in Kerala is conducted by the Parrassinikkadavu Ayurveda Medical College following the rules and regulations of the Kerala health university.

The present situation in Kerala is that the Ayurveda pharmacy graduates are unable to register their certificates to become recognised pharmacy professionals because of lack of registration council. Unlike in other states, where this course is conducted by universities, Ayur B Pharms in Kerala remain as unrecognised graduates without a registration number. This causes for permanent unemployment for them. Currently, the state has more than one thousand Ayur B Pharms.

According to sources from the drugs control department, the DC and other senior officials are studying about the course syllabus and the status of Ayush pharmacies and retail outlets. The drug controller is in discussion with various stakeholders of Ayurveda to check whether strict enforcement is required for the sector like that of allopathic system. According to officials, the need of a registration council arises when there are multiple institutions conducting a course to create diploma holders and graduates to cater to the needs of the industry and the regulatory agencies. As far as Kerala is concerned, everything in Ayush sector is controlled by the medical graduates, BAMS.

Kiran Kumar, secretary of Kerala Ayurveda Pharmacy Graduates Association (KAPGA) who walks about the state from north to south meeting ministers and government officials, says that the major obstacle to government in expediting the process of constituting an Ayurveda Pharmacy Council (APC) is due to the increasing number of Ayurveda medical graduates (BAMS) who occupy all positions in the drugs control department at present. He said the pharmacy profession and the enforcement of drug acts need to be reserved for the technically qualified Ayur B Pharms. BAMS graduates should confine in clinical side. This is the systematic method to be followed by the healthcare system.

Pharmabiz sought the response of the state drug controller PM Jayan who said the question of the government is still unanswered, but it will be answered in another two weeks time. According to him there is confusion among experts in constituting a registration council exclusively for Ayurveda or Ayush because a national act is required to form such a statutory body. The state pharmacy council is functioning under the Pharmacy Act 1948. Likewise, a Parliament passed law is required to constitute one body like registration council. However, the DC said government can make some alternative arrangements to permit the graduates register their certificates. He said he will write to the government citing all possibilities.

Senior graduates in Ayur B Pharm say that universities in Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are conducting B Pharm and M Pharm programmes in Ayurveda pharmacy and the state governments in these states permit them to register with the Board of Ayurveda and Unani systems respectively.Pharmabiz