WARANGAL: The students who are pursuing the six-year Doctor of Pharmacy course and those who have completed it are demanding the state government to fulfil its promise of implementing G.O. RT no. 515 which states that an expert committee should be constituted in order to discuss creation of jobs for Pharm D students.
Students from 11 pharmacy colleges in Warangal are on an indefinite protest at the Ekashila Park in Hanmakonda. Monday was the third day of their protest.
Dr Surya Teja, President of PharmD doctors’ welfare association said that the state government has failed to provide minimum employment provisions to a degree introduced 10 years ago. Pharm.D, a six-year course, was introduced in 2008 and 5,800 students across the state have passed out so far from various colleges across the state. As many as 11,000 students are still pursuing the course.
“The government of Telangana has promised to provide career opportunities to PharmD graduates in the year 2015 through the G.O. RT no. 515. Two years after the G.O. has been passed, no initiative has been taken for the clinical pharmacists. There are thousands of graduates passing out every year. They are trying hard to find a suitable job, satisfy the purpose of their study and serve mankind as health care professionals,” Dr Surya Teja said.
The students demand that the state government look into the woes of the unemployed graduates. This situation is being faced by graduates and students of PharmD and PharmD (P.B) a five-year clinical oriented doctoral course. These were introduced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Pharmacy Council of India. These courses are recognised as masters’ qualification by the UGC.
“It is sad that the state government which promised to provide employment to the youth has failed to create jobs for the Pharm.D graduates. Several students are affected economically and psychologically. The state government must provide clinical pharmacists’ job to us and conduct recruitment accordingly in government hospitals,” demanded Dr V. Laxmi Kala, a 5th year Pharma D student of Vaagdevi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The students threatened to intensify their agitation if the government does not address their issues.
