Karnataka govt appoints Returning Officer for holding State Pharmacy Council elections

Bengaluru, June 17, 2022:

On repeated request of Karnataka State Pharmacy Council (KSPC), the Government of Karnataka has appointed Returning Officer for holding the State Pharmacy Council elections.

The Returning Officer is .GN Manjunatha Swamy, chief administrative officer, Karnataka Directorate of health and family welfare. He was appointed by the state government on March 5, 2022 to ensure smooth conduct of the Karnataka State Pharmacy Council elections. This is as per the requirements of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

In a communication, Swamy said that renewed and fresh registered pharmacists as on May 30, 2022 across Karnataka are eligible to contest/cast their vote for the upcoming Council’s election.

Gangadhar V Yavagal, KSPC president told Pharmabiz that beyond the last date of registration or renewal of any application will not be entertained. The voters list as on May 30, 2022 was submitted to the Returning Officer by the KSPC president as to who are eligible to vote/contest the elections.

The next step for the Returning Officer is to the publish the Calendar of Events which will be duly notified via a gazette notification for the election of 6 members under Section 19(a) of the Pharmacy Act 1948, for a period of five years.

Out of 34,356 eligible pharmacists, 6 members are to be elected as per the list submitted to the returning officer said Yavagal.

Also, he informed that 5 members must be nominated by the state government as per Section 19 (b) of the Pharmacy Act 1948 which is already overdue and the same was informed to the Government well in advance.

These are some of the efforts as a run up to the elections which will be conducted in transparent, efficient and time bound manner. There have been inordinate delays and much of it was also attributed to the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 and the ensuring global and national lockdowns which brought all activities to stand-still as adhering to the Covid-19 protocol was the government mandate, he noted.

Recently in Mysuru, the Karnataka Registered Pharmacists Association led by Dr Kaushik Devaraju said that the state government has taken a decision to hold the elections for the Karnataka State Pharmacy Council. These elections have been postponed indefinitely since August 2003. The Council's prime responsibility has been to regulate and ensure only qualified registered pharmacists would enter the profession to provide service to the patient.

Early this year, Karnataka Registered Pharmacists Association requested MLC KT Srikantagowda and pressed for holding the State Pharmacy Council Elections.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, Dr Devaraju said that in order to uplift the pharmacy profession, the government must follow Pharmacy Act and conduct election every 5 years. Pharmabiz