During the 63rd National Pharmacy Week event held at Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, R Narayanaswami, the patron of the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (TN IPGA) and former deputy drugs controller for the CDSCO, appealed for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to introduce pharmaceutical sciences as an optional subject in the civil services examination.
Narayanaswami highlighted that despite advocating for this change over the past 25 years, the commission has yet to make a definitive decision.
The event’s chief guest, Dr. S V Veeramani, chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council, noted India’s significant export of medicines to over 200 nations and emphasized the crucial role pharmacists play in the pharmaceutical sector.
Dr. G Selvaraju, president of TN IPGA, expressed his welcome to attendees and shared that the association organized four blood donation drives in hospitals, including Madras Medical College, as part of this year’s NPW activities.
This year, the TN IPGA introduced two state awards: the ‘C V Ramiah Award’ recognizing exceptional contributors to industry R&D and the ‘M Munivelu Memorial Award’ for outstanding Pharm D students in Tamil Nadu. The ceremony included the distribution of these accolades, along with awards for Best Student, Best Teacher, and Best Pharmacist.
The principal from Sri Ramachandra Pharmacy College delivered a keynote address, supporting Narayanaswami’s appeal by pointing out that professional subjects like medicine and engineering are already part of the civil services syllabus, thus necessitating the inclusion of pharmacy.
The event saw participation from the Tamil Nadu joint drug controller PU Karthikeyan, as well as deputy drug controller at Ports, Dr. Narendran. Attendees also included students and educators from seven pharmacy colleges, as well as 150 IPGA delegates.