JAMMU, Aug 9: A meeting of the Jammu Kashmir Government Pharmacists Association, Jammu Province, was held at the Federation Office, DHS Complex, Jammu, on August 9, 2026, under the presidentship of Sh. Bharat Bhushan Bhagat, along with Sh. Sushil Sudan, Member, Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). The meeting focused on various long-pending demands of government pharmacists, with the association urging the government to address them at the earliest in the larger interest of patient care.
The association sought early implementation of Pharmacy Council of India Regulation No. 388/2025/PCI dated June 8, 2026, along with timely conduct of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC). It also demanded release of two-and-a-half days’ salary along with arrears for employees performing duties on Sundays and gazetted holidays.
Another major demand was restoration of the Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) facility in favour of retired pharmacists. The association also called for discontinuation of the Medical Assistant course in all government and private institutions, stating that the nomenclature of Medical Assistant was changed to Pharmacist under Government Order No. 803-HME of 1993, dated October 11, 1993.
The association maintained that continuing the course could adversely affect students, as they may not be eligible for registration with the PCI under Section 32(C) of the Pharmacy Act, 1948. It appealed to the government to take appropriate action in the interest of students as well as the healthcare system.
The association expressed hope that the government would consider its genuine demands and take necessary measures at the earliest.
Those present included S.R.P. Singh, Madan Sharma, Bahadur Singh, Ram Lal Verma, Surjeet Rajan, Shaffket Hussain, Sanjay Choudhary, Daleep Choudhary, Jatinder Singh and Suresh Chouhan.