89 Maharashtra Pharmacy Colleges Face Action Over Safety, Faculty Lapses

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has barred 89 pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra from admitting first-year students for the 2025-26 academic session, after inspections revealed lapses including insufficient teaching staff, as well as poor infrastructure and safety measures.

The move affects 71 diploma in pharmacy (D. Pharma) and 18 bachelor of pharmacy (B. Pharm) institutions in the state, according to documents reviewed by Mint and people familiar with matter.

The PCI is a statutory body under the Union ministry of health & family welfare and is responsible for regulating the pharmacy education and profession in the country.

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The decision follows a 15 September letter from the government of Maharashtra to PCI, recommending cancellation of permission for pharmacy courses in these institutions. An earlier show-cause notice was issued to these colleges by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) in Maharashtra, highlighting several shortcomings.

Infrastructure gaps

The primary reason for this sweeping action is the widespread non-compliance with the PCI's regulations. A detailed report upon inspection reveals that a major issue was a lack of adequate infrastructure and safety measures.

“Many of the colleges lacked proper fire & safety certificates and occupancy certificates from competent authorities. Some institutions submitted certificates from private agencies or local bodies, which were deemed insufficient. Additionally, some buildings were incomplete or shared with other courses, failing to meet the required standards for pharmacy education ,” one of the officials cited earlier said, requesting not to be named.

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Queries sent to the Pharmacy Council of India and the health ministry remained unanswered.

Lack of faculty

According to the documents reviewed by Mint, several colleges also fell short on faculty and staff requirements.

The official cited above said that the PCI found many colleges lacked sufficient qualified teaching and non-teaching staff, with some having no permanent principal. Several colleges also failed to provide essential documents, including sanctioned building plans, or land ownership papers in the name of the trust running the institution.

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“The institutions were given a chance to submit compliance reports in response to the show cause notices, but many either failed to do so or provided unsatisfactory explanations and documents. The Director of the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) and the Joint Director of Pharmacy Degree Institutes ultimately recommended the cancellation of government approval and affiliation for these colleges,” the official said.

India has approximately 6,000 pharmacy colleges with over 97,000 faculty members and more than 606,761 students. The council has registered more than 100,000 pharmacists in the country.

For students, the PCI's decision means that the affected institutions will not be accepting new admissions for the upcoming academic session, forcing aspiring students to find other colleges with proper accreditation.

“It is a crucial step to safeguard the academic career of the students from institutions that fail to provide a proper learning environment. The move will push institutions to adhere to stringent quality and safety standards and they have to prioritize the quality of education,” said the official.

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