• English
NyaayaNyaayaNyaayaNyaaya
  • Explainers
    • Constitution
      • Fundamental Rights
        • Right to Education
        • Constitutional Remedies
    • Discrimination
      • Healthcare for LGBTQ+ Persons
      • Identification Proof for LGBTQ+ Persons
      • Manual Scavenging
      • Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes
      • Violence Based on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
    • Family
      • Adoption
      • Care for Parents and Elderly
      • Child Marriage
      • Domestic Violence
    • Government and Politics
      • 48 Hours Before Elections
      • Anti-Corruption
      • Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
      • Campaigning and Elections
      • Identification Proof
      • Legal Aid
      • Right to Information
      • Sedition
      • Voting and Elections
    • Health and Environment
      • Abortion and Sex Selection
      • COVID-19
      • Drugs and Narcotics
      • Mental Health
      • Noise Pollution
      • Patient Rights
      • Smoking
    • Marriage and Divorce
      • Annulment of marriage
      • Divorce for Muslim Marriages
      • Divorce for Hindu Marriages
      • Dowry
      • Hindu Marriage
      • Inter-Religious Marriages
      • Muslim Marriage
    • Media and Communication
      • Censorship
      • Defamation
    • Money and Property
      • Consumer Rights
      • Cheques
      • Income Tax
      • Online Bank Fraud
      • Rent
      • Theft
      • Will
    • Police and Courts
      • Arrest
      • Bail
      • Children accused of Crime
      • First Information Report (FIR)
      • Traffic Fines
    • Violence and Abuse
      • Acid Attack
      • Online Abuse
      • Ragging
      • Rape
      • Sexual Abuse of Children
      • Sexual Crimes
    • Work and Employment
      • Child Labour
      • Employment Contract
      • Maternity Benefit
      • Professional Ethics
      • Sexual Harassment at the Workplace
  • Nyaaya Daily
  • Resources
  • Glossary
  • Blogs
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Collaborators
  • Ask Nyaaya

Who is a Pharmacist?

    Home Community and Citizenship Professional Ethics Who is a Pharmacist?
    NextPrevious

    Who is a Pharmacist?

    By Nyaaya | Professional Ethics | 0 comment | 28 August, 2020 | 1

    A pharmacist is a person who is trained to prepare, monitor and sell medicines. Under the law, a registered pharmacist1 is a person whose name is entered in the register of the State where he is residing or carrying on the profession or business of pharmacy.

    A register will include the full name and residential address of the registered person, the date of his first admission to the register, his qualifications for registration, his professional address,  the name of his employer etc.2

    Qualifications needed to be a pharmacist

    Qualifications of a pharmacist differ from state to state. The State Pharmacy Council of each state lays down certain qualifications for a person to be registered as a pharmacist. The Pharmacy Council of India approves such qualifications.

    Education/Degrees

    An individual of at least 18 years can be eligible for registration as a pharmacist for the first time. After paying the required fee, his name will be added to the register of the State where he resides or carries on his pharmacy business/profession,3 if he has:

    • A degree or diploma in pharmacy or pharmaceutical chemistry or a chemist and druggist diploma of an Indian University or a State Government, or a prescribed qualification granted by an authority outside India;4 or
    • A degree of an Indian University other than a degree in pharmacy or pharmaceutical chemistry. In addition, the person should have been engaged for at least 3 years in compounding drugs in a hospital, dispensary, or another place where drugs are regularly dispensed based on prescriptions of medical practitioners;5 or
    • Passed an examination recognised by the State Government for compounders or dispensers;6 or
    • Been engaged for at least 5 years in compounding drugs in a hospital, dispensary, or another place in which drugs are regularly dispensed based on prescriptions of medical practitioners. This period is calculated starting from the date for application of registration as notified by the State government.7

    Other qualifications

    In addition to the above qualifications, a person will be eligible for subsequent registration as a pharmacist:

    • If he is a registered pharmacist in another state.8
    • The Pharmacy Council of India can approve  qualifications granted by any authority outside India, with regard to making Indian citizens eligible for registration as  Pharmacists. The Council approves an application only after the qualification guarantees a minimum level of skill and knowledge. However, non-citizens can also qualify for registration if they come from countries where persons of Indian origin (who have the required qualifications) can practice pharmacy.9 Here, to have his name entered in the register, the person should have passed a matriculation examination or any other equivalent examination.10
    1
    1. Section 2(i), Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    2. Section 29,  Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    3. Section 31, Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    4. Section 31(a), Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    5. Section 31(b), Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    6. Section 31(c), Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    7. Section 31(d), Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    8. Section 32(1)(b), Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    9. Section 14, Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    10. Section 32(1)(c);Section 14, Pharmacy Act, 1948[↩]
    Medicines, Patient, Pharmacist

    Related Post

    • Complaining against a Pharmacist

      By Nyaaya | 0 comment

      Any complaint with regard to professional misconduct of a pharmacist can be brought either before the State Pharmacy Council or Pharmacy Council of India for disciplinary action.1 Every State Government is required to set upRead more

      1

    • Misconduct by Pharmacists

      By Nyaaya | 0 comment

      The actions of a registered pharmacist which shall qualify for misconduct and those actions which can be complained against include: Violation of Law Violations of regulations under the Pharmacist Act (including violations associated with theRead more

      1

    • Ethical Conduct by Pharmacists

      By Nyaaya | 0 comment

      Some of the ethical practices for pharmacists include: Handling of Drugs/Medicines by Pharmacists Pharmacists should take all possible care to dispense a prescription correctly by weighing and measuring all ingredients in correct proportions, with theRead more

      1

    • Duties of Registered Pharmacists towards Patients

      By Nyaaya | 0 comment

      While helping clients, pharmacists have certain duties: A pharmacist is not bound to attend every person who asks for his service. However, a pharmacist should always be ready to respond to the sick and injured.1 Read more

      1

    • Choosing Alternative Treatment Options

      By Nyaaya | 0 comment

      A patient has the right to choose the treatment course once the doctor has informed the patient of all the options. 1 The patient or their caregiver cannot be forced to follow a certain treatmentRead more

      2

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    NextPrevious

    Follow Us

    About Us

    Nyaaya is an open access, digital resource that provides simple, actionable, recallable and authoritative legal information to young Indians, helping them solve day-to-day legal problems so that they are aware of their rights and feel empowered to seek justice.

    Subscribe to our Newsletter

    Nyaaya is committed to providing you with clear, actionable information about Indian laws in simple language so you can protect yourself, assert your rights and seek justice. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with us


    Subscribe to Nyaaya updates on Whatsapp

    न्याया से whatsapp पे जुड़ें

    Terms of Use

    cc logo attribution logo non-commercial logo share alike logo

    Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 India (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 IN) license. Icons by The Noun Project.

    • About Us
    • How Nyaaya Works
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Commenting and Discussion Guidelines
    • Feedback
    Nyaaya - India's Laws Explained
    • Explainers
      • Constitution
        • Fundamental Rights
          • Right to Education
          • Constitutional Remedies
      • Discrimination
        • Healthcare for LGBTQ+ Persons
        • Identification Proof for LGBTQ+ Persons
        • Manual Scavenging
        • Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes
        • Violence Based on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
      • Family
        • Adoption
        • Care for Parents and Elderly
        • Child Marriage
        • Domestic Violence
      • Government and Politics
        • 48 Hours Before Elections
        • Anti-Corruption
        • Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
        • Campaigning and Elections
        • Identification Proof
        • Legal Aid
        • Right to Information
        • Sedition
        • Voting and Elections
      • Health and Environment
        • Abortion and Sex Selection
        • COVID-19
        • Drugs and Narcotics
        • Mental Health
        • Noise Pollution
        • Patient Rights
        • Smoking
      • Marriage and Divorce
        • Annulment of marriage
        • Divorce for Muslim Marriages
        • Divorce for Hindu Marriages
        • Dowry
        • Hindu Marriage
        • Inter-Religious Marriages
        • Muslim Marriage
      • Media and Communication
        • Censorship
        • Defamation
      • Money and Property
        • Consumer Rights
        • Cheques
        • Income Tax
        • Online Bank Fraud
        • Rent
        • Theft
        • Will
      • Police and Courts
        • Arrest
        • Bail
        • Children accused of Crime
        • First Information Report (FIR)
        • Traffic Fines
      • Violence and Abuse
        • Acid Attack
        • Online Abuse
        • Ragging
        • Rape
        • Sexual Abuse of Children
        • Sexual Crimes
      • Work and Employment
        • Child Labour
        • Employment Contract
        • Maternity Benefit
        • Professional Ethics
        • Sexual Harassment at the Workplace
    • Nyaaya Daily
    • Resources
    • Glossary
    • Blogs
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Collaborators
    • Ask Nyaaya
    • English
    Nyaaya

    Hey if you have any comments please add them below the explainer. If you have any questions on the law, you can use the ASK NYAAYA tab to submit them. This will help us improve our content based on your contribution. Thanks!

    Stay updated with Nyaaya, connect with us through a newsletter, whatsapp, and whatsapp हिंदी