N-E gets 150 new pharmacists

From Sinniah Gurunathan, Trinco corr.

Following a two- year training under the External Pharmacists Training Course conducted by the Provincial Health Ministry, a batch of 150 men and women working in private pharmacies in the north and east qualified as pharmacists. Support for the programme was provided by the World Bank.

The certificate-awarding ceremony to trained persons was held at the Eastern Provincial Health Ministry Auditorium last week. This training course was designed to produce qualified pharmacists to man private sector pharmacies. Speaking at the awards ceremony Ms. N.R. Ranjini of the Eastern Province Health Ministry Secretary, said over 500 unqualified persons working in pharmacies in the north and east enrolled for the course but only 350 completed it.

In his address Eastern Province Health Services Director Dr. M. Thevarajan said surveys had revealed that around 6,000 unqualified persons were working in private sector pharmacies throughout the country as pharmacists.

The Secretary Northern Province Health Ministry said there was a severe dearth of qualified pharmacists in Government hospitals in Jaffna district and that arrangements were in place to absorb them into hospitals in the Northern Province. Provincial Food and Drug Inspector E. Pathmaheswaran co-ordinated the training course.