Bathinda, November 17 Members of the Punjab State Pharmacy Officer’s Association discussed their plan of action to get their pending demands fulfilled at a convention here on Sunday. The association members expressed their concern over the recent amendments proposed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945. They requested the government not to make any amendment to the act. Sukhmander Singh Sidhu, secretary of the association, said, “The state unit of the association has been holding conventions in various districts for the past many weeks to discuss various issues related to pharmacists. First, we welcome the move of the government to change the name of the designation —pharmacist — to pharmacy officer.” “The Union Government has decided to make amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, and as per the amended Act, any person apart from pharmacists will reserve the right to compound medicines of poor quality. The move will render pharmacists toothless as they won’t be able to exercise the rules pertaining to check the use of poor quality medicines. The government has issued a notification seeking responses or any objections before giving its nod to the amended Act. We have decided to oppose these amendments,” he added. The association members said more than 300 posts of pharmacist had been lying vacant and the state government should fill the posts on priority. They said there was a proposal to make fresh appointments of 412 pharmacists, the process of which must be expedited so that the quality of services could be improved in the public health sector. The members added that there had been an increase in workload in the recent years, but the state government did not make enough appointments.

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