REGISTRATION OF PHARMACIST IN STATE REGISTER

The profession of pharmacy can be safeguarded by permitting only individuals with the necessary scientific and professional knowledge to enter it. Registering pharmacists not only maintains the quality of professionals entering the field but also bestows specific privileges upon those already practicing, making them aware of their duties and responsibilities.

 In India, the Pharmacy Act of 1948, in Chapter 4, mandates the registration of pharmacists in all states. The initial register of pharmacists must be established by the respective State Government as soon as this chapter takes effect. Afterward, a State Pharmacy Council is to be constituted, and the register is transferred to its custody for maintenance.

 The register contains the following information:

(a) Full name and residential address of the registered individual.

(b) Date of first entry into the register.

(c) Qualifications for registration.

(d) Professional address, and if employed, the employer's name.

(e) Any additional prescribed particulars.

 

Preparation of the Initial Register:

1. To prepare the initial register, the State Government must, through an official Gazette notification, form a Registration Tribunal comprising three members and appoint a Registrar as its secretary.

2. The State Government then specifies a deadline for submitting registration applications, accompanied by the prescribed fee.

3. The Registration Tribunal reviews all applications received by the specified date. If satisfied with an applicant's qualifications, it directs the inclusion of their name in the register. 

4. The first register is subsequently published as directed by the State Government. If anyone disagrees with the Registration Tribunal's decision as implied in the published register, they may appeal to the authority designated by the State Government within 60 days of publication.

5. The Registrar amends the register based on the authority's decision and issues a registration certificate in the prescribed format to each eligible person. 

6. After the State Council is constituted, the register is entrusted to its custody, and the government directs the application fee collected to be credited to the State Council.

 

Qualifications for Inclusion in the Initial Register:

 To have their name in the first register, an individual must:

1. Be at least 18 years old and reside or practice pharmacy in the State.
2. Hold a degree or diploma in pharmacy, pharmaceutical chemistry, or a chemist and druggist diploma from an Indian University, State Government, or a recognized foreign authority, or
3. Possess a degree from an Indian University other than pharmacy or pharmaceutical chemistry and have at least three years of experience in compounding drugs in a hospital or dispensary under medical practitioners' prescriptions, or
4. Pass an examination recognized by the State Government for compounders and dispensers, or
5. Have a minimum of five years' experience in compounding and dispensing in a hospital or dispensary under medical practitioners' prescriptions before the date notified by the Registration Tribunal for registration applications.

 

Subsequent Registers:

 After the State Government invites applications for registration in the first register and before the Education Regulations are enforced, individuals meeting the following criteria, and who are at least matriculate, can have their names in the register on payment of the prescribed fee:

1. Satisfy the conditions set for first register registration or, if no such conditions exist, meet the criteria for first register registration.
2. Are registered pharmacists in another State or
3. Hold qualifications for registration granted outside the territory governed by the Act.

 After the Education Regulations are enforced, individuals who are at least 18 years old, reside or practice pharmacy in the State, and meet the following criteria can have their names in the register on payment of the prescribed fee:

1. Pass an approved examination or
2. Possess qualifications granted outside the territory governed by the Act or are registered pharmacists in another State.

 

Special Provisions for Registration of Certain Persons (Sec. 32-A):

 The Pharmacy (Amendment) Act of 1959 introduced special provisions for the registration of specific classes of individuals, in addition to those eligible for subsequent register registration. These classes include:

1. Displaced persons practicing pharmacy before March 4, 1948, who meet the necessary first register conditions.
2. Indian citizens practicing pharmacy abroad who meet the necessary first register conditions.
3. Individuals residing in areas that were not part of India when the Pharmacy Act was passed but later became part of India, meeting the necessary first register conditions.
4. Individuals who applied for first register registration on or before the specified date but were not registered for various reasons.
5. Individuals with at least five years of experience in compounding drugs in a hospital or dispensary under medical practitioners' prescriptions before the date specified by the State Government.
6. Individuals qualified for registration in a State before November 1, 1956, who, due to territorial transfers, are not qualified for registration in the later State solely because they are not matriculates or do not possess qualifications recognized by the Pharmacy Council of India.
7. Individuals registered in a State before November 1, 1956, which later became part of another State and who practice pharmacy in the later State.
8. Individuals residing or practicing pharmacy in an area where the registration chapter applies after the commencement of the Pharmacy (Amendment) Act of 1959 and meet the first register's registration conditions.