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| - Fact Check: No, Indian government has not approved pharmacists to run clinics in the country
A Hindi newspaper clipping has gone viral on social media with the claim that the Centre has approved pharmacists in the country to open clinics and prescribe medicine to patients. What is the truth behind the claim?
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India Today Fact Check
Pharmacy Council of India confirmed to AFWA that no such decision has been taken by the Indian government. There is no provision for opening clinics by pharmacists under the Pharmacy Act and pharmacy practice rules in India.
The Indian government recently allowed postgraduate trained Ayurveda surgeons to perform 58 types of surgeries creating a stir in the country, particularly in the community of allopathic doctors. The Centre's decision will now allow these trained Ayurveda surgeons to legally perform procedures such as skin grafting, cataract surgery, and root canal treatment.
Amid this, a Hindi newspaper clipping has gone viral on social media with the claim that the Centre has approved pharmacists in the country to open clinics and prescribe medicine to patients. According to the report by Dainik Janwani, there is already a provision for this in the Pharmacy Act and pharmacy practice rules of India.
The Hindi headline of the viral news report published on December 26, 2020 translates to, "Like Doctors, pharmacists too will now be able to open clinics".
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the claim is false. The Pharmacy Council of India, a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed to AFWA that the Indian government has not taken any such decision. There is no provision for pharmacists' opening clinics under the Pharmacy Act and pharmacy practice rules in India.
The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here and here.
AFWA probe
When we could not find any credible media house reports surrounding the viral claim, we reached out to Prof B Suresh, President of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) for further clarity.
"Neither do we have an existing provision that allows pharmacists to open pharma clinics to diagnose diseases and prescribe medicines, nor do we have any such proposal in place. This is because clinical practice and advising patients regarding the use of prescriptions are two different areas. As pharmacy professionals, our strength lies in supporting a physician in choosing the right medicine and making the patients understand what the physician said. We cannot provide the healthcare that a physician offers," Prof Suresh said.
Dr JA Jayalal, national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) told AFWA that IMA has already written to the health secretary regarding the fake viral claim.
"There has been a long-standing demand by some pharmacist associations to be recognised as medical practitioners. However, the government of India has not granted any such permission to them. We have also written a letter to the health secretary to look into the matter of this fake claim in circulation and we are confident that there will be action taken against this," Dr Jayalal said.
"Even a person with a doctorate in pharmacy is not allowed to directly provide prescriptions to patients. That job can only be performed by a qualified medical practitioner," Dr Jayalal added.
Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, a senior surgeon and secretary of IMA Telangana, said, "The viral news report is false. The government has not issued any such order. Apart from a few over the counter drugs approved by the government, a pharmacist cannot give any medication to patients without a prescription."
Dr M Raja Rao, Superintendent of Hyderabad's state-run Gandhi hospital and vice-chairperson of the Hyderabad edition of the Association of Physicians of India told AFWA, "We have not come across any such government order. Prescribing medicine needs diagnosing skills. A pharmacist is not trained for that. The job of a pharmacist is to handle the medicines and explain to a patient what the doctor has recommended."
Amendment in 2015 pharmacy rules
According to PCI's Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015, in India registered pharmacists can only dispense those medicines that are prescribed by registered medical practitioners.
Prof Suresh told AFWA the job roles and responsibilities of a clinical pharmacist is not described in the 2015 regulation because at that time Doctor of Pharmacy (professional pharmacy doctoral programme) was a new course and roles were not clearly defined.
"We have sent the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015 for some amendments to the ministry of health and it is still under consideration. The amendment only seeks to make the role of the cadre of clinical pharmacists, people with a doctorate in pharmacy, pharmacy services clearer. But even if the amendment is passed, a clinical pharmacist will not be able to open clinic or prescribe medicines," Prof Suresh added.
In the amendment, a clinical pharmacist is identified as a person who can work along with physicians at hospitals and clinics for counselling patients on medication. They would also support physicians in monitoring patient's compliance and providing unbiased information on medicines.
The Press Information Bureau also confirmed that the viral claim is false and there is no provision for opening clinics by a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act and pharmacy practice rules in India.
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