Health Ministry releases draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023

Context:

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare seeks public and stakeholder comments on the proposed National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023.

What are the key provision of the National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023?

• National Pharmacy Commission: The National Pharmacy Commission Bill proposes to establish the National Pharmacy Commission and repeal the Pharmacy Act, 1948.
• Enhancing Education and Access: Focus on improving access to affordable, high-quality pharmacy education.
  • Ensures availability of pharmacy professionals nationwide.
• Assessment and Registration: The Bill also calls for a periodic and transparent assessment of pharmacy institutions and facilitating maintenance of a pharmacy register for India.
• Ethics and Research Integration: Encourages pharmacy professionals to integrate the latest research into their work.
  • Emphasizes contributions to research and upholding high ethical standards.
• Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Establishes an effective grievance redressal mechanism for relevant matters.
• Commission Setup: Proposes the constitution of a commission with its head office in Delhi.
• Flexibility and Transparency: Draft of National Pharmacy Commission Bill proposes flexibility to adapt to changing needs.
  • Aims to ensure transparency through the Pharmacy Ethics and Registration Board maintaining a National Pharmacy Register.
  • The Pharmacy Ethics and Registration Board shall maintain an online and live National Pharmacy Register (NPR) containing the name, address, all recognised qualifications possessed by a pharmacy professional and such other particulars as may be specified by regulations.
• Digital Records and Timely Updates:
  • The National Pharmacy Commission Bill also proposes that every state chapter shall maintain and regularly update, in digital form, the State Pharmacy Professional Register and the State Pharmacy Register in the specified digital format.
  • State chapters needs to supply a digital and physical copy to the Pharmacy Ethics and Registration Board/Commission within three months of the commencement of the act.

News Source: The Hindu

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