Editorial

Abstract

There is no doubt that currently there is enormous gap existing between education and practice of pharmacy. Most of the academic institutions providing education in pharmacy are away from practice environment. The overall basis of pharmacy education is still extra biological synthesis, physicochemical studies, analysis, and manufacturing aspects of drug. It is a common feeling that the medical practitioner is better placed for pharmacists' job than the pharmacists themselves. The dispensing services are poor. The syllabus and duration of the two-year diploma course in pharmacy education in India is completely outdated and irrelevant in the present industry context. It is a heterogeneous mixture of clinical and industrial subjects. Since clinical subjects are there PCI comes into the picture and AICTE came in because of industrial orientation of pharmacy syllabus. Pharmacy as a nascent science developed like this in the last century. During 1940s and 50s, hospitals and industries were established in large numbers in India. Consequently, pharmacists and pharmaceutical chemists were required in huge numbers. Hence pharmacy education was developed in such a way to satisfy the requirement of industry and hospital. Short-term compounders and or D. Pharm. course to satisfy the needs of hospital and medical shops and B. Pharm. course for the industry were started. This is proved by the fact thatin the last few decades D. Pharm. holders are not employed by the industry and B. Pharm. holders are not in many numbers in hospitals or medical shops.