Tamil Nadu Eyes 735 New Pharmacy Seats, Pharm D Courses in Government Medical Colleges
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government is examining a proposal to expand pharmacy education by introducing 735 additional pharmacy seats in government medical colleges across the state. The proposal includes starting Bachelor of Pharmacy (B Pharm) courses in 11 more government medical colleges and launching the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) programme at Madras Medical College (MMC), Chennai, and Government Madurai Medical College and Hospital. If approved, it will be the first time that the six-year Pharm D course is offered in government institutions in Tamil Nadu.
At present, B Pharm and Master of Pharmacy (M Pharm) programmes are available only at the College of Pharmacy, Madras Medical College, and Government Madurai Medical College. The two institutions currently offer 60 B Pharm seats each and a combined 85 M Pharm seats.
The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) proposing the expansion and forwarded it to the Health Secretary for consideration. The proposal is presently under examination.
Under the proposal, 660 B Pharm seats will be introduced across 11 government medical colleges, 15 additional M Pharm seats will be added at Government Madurai Medical College, and 60 Pharm D seats will be created, with 30 seats each at Madras Medical College and Government Madurai Medical College.
The proposed expansion comes in response to a long-standing demand from pharmacy associations, which have maintained that the limited number of government pharmacy seats forces many students to seek admission in self-financing institutions where tuition fees are significantly higher. A B Pharm seat in a government institution costs around Rs 50,000 per year, compared with approximately Rs 1 lakh for a management quota seat in a self-financing college. Similarly, M Pharm students pay about Rs 75,000 annually in government colleges, while fees in private institutions are around Rs 1.25 lakh.
According to a recent media report in The New Indian Express, G. Selvaraj, former president of the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association, Tamil Nadu branch, confirmed that although nearly 100 private colleges offer the B Pharm programme, only two government institutions currently provide the course. He stated that expanding pharmacy programmes to more government medical colleges would improve access to affordable pharmacy education and benefit students from economically weaker sections
