Haryana Cabinet Drops Mandatory Training for Pharmacy Officers

New Delhi: The Haryana Cabinet has approved key amendments to the Haryana Health Department Pharmacists (Group-C) Service Rules, 1998, primarily removing the mandatory six-month hospital training requirement and revising recruitment provisions to address staff shortages.

Earlier, in 2021, the designation of “pharmacist” was changed to “pharmacy officer,” and the eligibility criteria were upgraded to include a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy along with compulsory six-month training in hospital-based pharmacy services.

However, these stricter eligibility conditions significantly reduced the number of qualified applicants, resulting in unfilled positions across government hospitals and dispensaries. To overcome this issue, the Cabinet has now decided to remove the mandatory six-month training requirement.

As per the news reported by HT, the spokesperson said, "However, the stricter criteria resulted in a limited pool of eligible candidates, leading to vacancies in government hospitals and dispensaries... To address this issue, the cabinet approved the removal of the mandatory six-month training requirement from the service rules. This step is expected to significantly widen the pool of eligible candidates and facilitate faster recruitment."

The Cabinet has also approved changes in the recruitment ratio for pharmacy officers. The proportion of direct recruitment has been increased from 75% to 95%, while the quota for promotions has been reduced from 25% to 5%. Additionally, the pay level has been revised from FPL-6 to FPL-6A, with the basic pay updated to ₹39,900.

In a related decision, the Cabinet has also approved amendments to the recruitment rules for Operation Theatre Assistants (OTAs). Under the revised norms, candidates applying through direct recruitment must have completed Class 12 with science (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Mathematics), along with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology (Operation Theatre/Anesthesia) from a recognized institution or university. The requirement of knowledge of Hindi or Sanskrit remains unchanged, HT reported.

The amendments further streamline eligibility criteria for appointments through promotion and deputation. For promotion, candidates must have passed Class 12 with science and possess a minimum of five years of experience as a Group-D employee working in the operation theatre of a government health institution.