Chorus grows for pharmaceutical science as optional subject in Civils

For quite some time now, pharmacy students have been urging the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to include pharmaceutical science in the optional subject list of Civil Services examinations. Currently, UPSC has permitted B Pharm holders to attend the preliminary examination, considering the qualification as a degree.

But it does not do any good for pharmacy graduates to get through the main examination on the strength of their chosen subject as pharmaceutical science is not included in the list of optional subjects. As a result, these career aspirants have to settle for subjects from humanities or sciences as their optional for the main examination. Meanwhile, as pharmacology is an optional subject for the main examination, many doctors are joining the Civil Services. It is true that they have an edge over pharmacy graduates in the civil services exams as they learn about pharmacology in their degree course itself. Priority should not be given for pharmacology as several medical graduates go in for PG in pharmacology and opt for it for the main exam.

As far as pharmacy graduates are concerned, it is too difficult for them to compete with medical students having a PG in pharmacology.

A fair decision on the part of UPSC would be in providing a level-playing field to all steams and include pharmaceutics or pharmaceutical chemistry as optional subjects. Several B Pharm graduates, who cleared the preliminary hurdle, could not make it past the main exams because of limited choices as regards science or humanities as optional subjects. Lest one forgets, pharmaceutical science is a professional subject like medicine, engineering and architecture. Apart from other basic subjects, agriculture, veterinary, engineering and medicine are included in the curriculum of civil services examination but pharmaceutical science does not figure in it much to the dismay of B Pharm or Pharm D graduates.

The government should understand that pharmaceutical science, unlike other subjects, is directly related to the health and welfare of the public, and pharmacists have become an integral component of the country’s healthcare system. It is a fact that there is a paradigm shift in the duties of a pharmacist in the entire world, especially post-Covid. Even at the international level, the duty of a pharmacist is fast evolving from being a mere dispenser of medicines in a retail medical store. Pharmacists are now expected to interact with patients, doctors and nurses in a collaborative model like in the developed countries, where they are integral to the healthcare system. Moreover, it is now patient-centric and not product-centric. The revised pharmacy practice regulations favour patient safety. However, in India, the situation is entirely different as pharmacy professionals are yet to get the respect that they deserve.

So, opportunities to serve the community with administrative powers should not be denied to them. Otherwise, it will tantamount to discrimination against the noble profession and the subject.

A major push for these professionals would be if the UPSC decision makers consider subjects other than pharmacology and add them into the exam structure.

The students are also annoyed by the less than enthusiastic approach of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). They are dismayed that PCI is not taking steps to broaden the base of these graduates. Had they taken up this issue with UPSC authorities, the civil services dreams of B Pharm or Pharm D graduates would have been realised long time back. The UPSC should now seriously consider the demand of pharmacy students to include pharmaceutical science as an optional subject in the civil services main examination and provide them ample opportunities to crack the exams and make the cut.

(The author is freelance

journalist with varied experience in different fields)