Indian Pharmacy Education Needs to Meet the Requirements of the 21st Century
Sarath Shyam, Managing Editor
Pharmacy, the art and science of manufacturing and dispensing of drugs for the treatment and prevention of diseases, is not a new concept for us. The Ayurveda and Siddha systems of medicine have extensive literature on the selection of sources for natural medicines. Although, pharmacy a as concept was practiced in our country from ancient time, it has undergone many changes educationally and professionally. It is unfortunate to see that today a pharmacist in India is considered as a salesperson who does the marketing of medicines, unlike the West, where the pharmacist is responsible for dispensing medicines prescribed by the physician and advising patients about their judicious administration.
Perhaps, that is the reason why the global institutes are moving towards excellence in research and capability building, while Indian pharmacy institutes are concentrating more on increasing self-employability quotient. If our education system continues to be a silent spectator of global trends, it will be hard for our pharmacy professionals to meet the requirements of the 21st century. Indeed, there is no better time than now to define the goals of pharmacy education for present and future and re-frame our curriculum according to defined goals to meet the global challenges.
In this issue, we have come up with 'Top 10 Promising Pharmacy Colleges in India 2017,' which are selected on the basis of how well they prepare the students for the industry, educational collaborations, placements, research and the quality of performance they deliver, all of which implies their performance to bring in quality to the education system. On the cover, we feature two premier private universities in India and their pharmacy programs. We sincerely hope that our coverage of Amrita School of Pharmacy, JSS University and other top rated pharmacy colleges in India would help the enthusiasts, students and aspiring candidates alike, who are looking for a good platform to acquire the skills to enter and survive in the pharmacy industry.
Enjoy Reading.
Perhaps, that is the reason why the global institutes are moving towards excellence in research and capability building, while Indian pharmacy institutes are concentrating more on increasing self-employability quotient. If our education system continues to be a silent spectator of global trends, it will be hard for our pharmacy professionals to meet the requirements of the 21st century. Indeed, there is no better time than now to define the goals of pharmacy education for present and future and re-frame our curriculum according to defined goals to meet the global challenges.
In this issue, we have come up with 'Top 10 Promising Pharmacy Colleges in India 2017,' which are selected on the basis of how well they prepare the students for the industry, educational collaborations, placements, research and the quality of performance they deliver, all of which implies their performance to bring in quality to the education system. On the cover, we feature two premier private universities in India and their pharmacy programs. We sincerely hope that our coverage of Amrita School of Pharmacy, JSS University and other top rated pharmacy colleges in India would help the enthusiasts, students and aspiring candidates alike, who are looking for a good platform to acquire the skills to enter and survive in the pharmacy industry.
Enjoy Reading.
