Last Updated on February 3, 2020 by The Health Master
The Karnataka government has decided to recruit 800 out of the over 1,000 shortfall of pharmacists at the earliest across its medical centres in a time bound manner.
The move is expected to ease the shortfall of the qualified pharmacists across the state government hospitals and primary health centres.
This hiring will take place under the government’s special recruitment drive.
The filling up of vacant posts is a continuing process. The recruitment process is as per vacancies reported to them by the user departments.
The assurance from the government came in after the Karnataka State Government Pharmacists Association (KSGPA) called for a strike in 5 phases.
While the KSGPA completed the first phase of the strike and was gearing up for the second phase of the strike, the government assured the Association that hiring was round the corner and every effort would be made to fulfill the other demands including higher salaries and need for better storage practices.
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Dr BS Desai, president, KSGPA reassured the large gathering of pharmacists that all the 23 demands will be considered by the government.
Stating that pharmacists took on the responsibility of patient care, Dr Desai said that as professionals they did not stay away from work during the first phase of the strike.
Now the government has indicated that a pharmacist is key to the healthcare network and that every requirement of theirs will be considered which itself indicates the indispensability of the professionals in the state medical services.
There is a gross shortage of pharmacists throughout the state.
Now, the government is ready to fill up the vacancies and understood that high quality patient care comes in not just from the doctors but also from the pharmacist too, Vijayalakshmi M, general secretary, KSGPA told on the sidelines of the scientific seminar organised in place of the rally of 3,000 pharmacists to protest against government silence towards their demands.
