Pharmacists oppose injection room duties at Sec 16 hospital
A group of pharmacists working under the Chandigarh Administration has raised concerns over the current role assigned to pharmacists in the Emergency Department’s injection room at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, and its allied units.
In a letter dated March 10 submitted to the Director of Health Services (DHS), Chandigarh, Dr Suman Singh, the pharmacists argue that their current duties in the injection room do not align with the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015, as laid out by the Pharmacy Council of India.
The regulations define the responsibilities of registered pharmacists, emphasising their role in dispensing medications and offering counselling based on prescriptions from registered medical practitioners, but not in ‘administering injections’.They point out that such tasks typically fall under the domain of medical or nursing staff and that assigning these responsibilities to the pharmacists exposes them to significant medico-legal risks. “Engaging in such activities may expose pharmacists to legal liabilities, especially in medico-legal cases, as they are not protected under the Pharmacy Act for administering injections,” the letter states.
The signatories, including several senior pharmacists, requested the administration to reassign injection room responsibilities to qualified medical personnel to align with established professional roles.
They cited hospital manuals and IPHS standards to support of their plea and highlighted that pharmacists should not be held responsible for any medico-legal consequences arising from these assignments. They were hoping that the administration will revise the current setup by April 30 in line with the Pharmacy Practice Regulations to ensure safe and legally sound practices within healthcare institutions.
DHS Dr Suman Singh acknowledged the pharmacists’ position but emphasised the practical challenges of hospital administration. “In technical terms, to run a hospital seamlessly there are certain practices that cannot always be followed strictly by the book. Due to significant staff constraints and the overwhelming number of patients, we are compelled to deploy pharmacists in areas like the injection room,” she stated.
Dr Singh added that such deployments are made out of operational necessity and assured that patient safety and professional responsibilities remain a priority for the administration. “We will continue to explore balanced solutions that align regulatory standards with ground realities,” she said.
The practice is being followed in GMSH-16 and not in PGIMER or GMCH-32.
Chandigarh