Hospital Pharmacy

 Hospital Pharmacy has come a long way from oblivion to some recognition in India, and yet it has to go a long way. The place of a pharmacist in hospitals in India is still not established. Many of the hospitals do not feel, even today, the need of a pharmacist. Only a handful of hospitals have a separate department as, ‘Hospital Pharmacy’. Despite this, rather disappointing scenario, hospital pharmacy is gaining grounds.  Many of the public hospitals have a manufacturing activity of some OTC, sterile and non-sterile products in their premises. The Central Sterile Supply Departments (CSSD) of quite a few hospitals are now well-established and doing well. Many hospitals have a firmly established hospital formulary, which is drawn in consultation with pharmacists. There is a clear visibility of hospital’s drug store (pharmacy) in many hospitals and some of them are large enough to catch attention of the patients. On the educational front, hospital pharmacy has made a striking progress. From a minor subject in early days of B. Pharm course to full-fledged course of hospital pharmacy. And in some Southern universities in the country, a postgraduate discipline of Hospital Pharmacy is now well-established.  The subject is also gaining popularity among the students and pharmacy teachers alike. Although gainful employment of these graduates is not yet as bright as it should be, the day is not too far away when these graduates will gain a respectful place in our hospitals. And yet, as has been mentioned earlier, the hospital pharmacy has a long way to go. First of all, the need for a qualified hospital pharmacist is yet to be recognised. The usefulness of such a person has to be established. The activities of the hospital pharmacy department has to be recognised and established.