Successful Adoption of Pharmacy Practice Regulations by Railways in all medical facilities across the country
He mentioned that the Indian Railways having a number of medical facilities across the country has also adopted it successfully. The Apex body in Health Directorate is headed by the Director General Railway Health Services at Railway Board, New Delhi. At Zonal level, there are 16 Zonal Railways and each Zonal Railway is headed by one Chief Medical Director (CMD) with Chief Health Directors in some Zones and 2 to 3 Deputy Chief Medical Directors assisted by few Group ‘B’ officers. The Divisional level is headed by Chief Medical Superintendents. In some places Sr. Medical Superintendents are working as in-charge. There are total 125 Railway Hospitals and additionally 133 Private recognised Hospitals are available.
The pharmacy profession at present is regulated by two statutes namely the Pharmacy Act and the D&C Act. In a first serious attempt to bring some comprehensive changes to the outdated provisions in these laws and rules governing the pharmacy practice, the government notified the PPR in January 2025 for enhancing the practice of pharmacy profession in the country. The intention of PPR 2025 was to lay down a uniform code of pharmacy ethics, responsibilities of pharmacists towards patients, role of a community pharmacist, etc. One of the key provisions in the PPR is to empower the state pharmacy councils to appoint pharmacy inspectors in all the districts of every state in the country. As per the provisions of PPR, pharmacy inspectors are authorized to inspect the retail medicine outlets for checking whether medicines are dispensed by a qualified pharmacist or unqualified persons. Currently, drug inspectors of the state drug control departments are conducting such inspections at the retail outlets. PPR also prescribe a dress code of white apron with a badge having name, qualification and registration number for pharmacists. There are various other provisions in PPR framed with the intention of uplifting the status of the pharmacy profession.
But, it is a sad commentary that these regulations have so far remained on paper only. Even after almost three years since the PPR was notified, only Kerala and Haryana have implemented it so far and Karnataka has taken some steps to implement it.
Ever since the notification, the pharmacists have been demanding the implementation of PPR in their respective states but nothing has been done so far in this regard. As per PPR, no owner/registered pharmacist can deny inspection of their premises by pharmacy inspectors appointed by state pharmacy council under section 26A of the Pharmacy Act 1948. The pharmacy inspectors are responsible to ensure implementation of section 42 of the Act which says only registered pharmacists are permitted to dispense the medicines on prescription of registered medical practitioners. The PPR further says apart from dispensing drugs and maintaining record of drugs given to patients, pharmacists should also offer services like patient counseling and adverse drug reporting. Unfortunately, a significant number of retail stores in the country are being operated by non-pharmacists who rent pharmacy diplomas and degrees from graduates in this discipline. According to reports, one can get a pharmacy certificate in states such as Bihar, UP, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana, etc for annual fees ranging Rs 15,000 to Rs 70,000. As per the D&C Act, retail stores cannot dispense drugs in absence of a registered pharmacist. It is highly unethical for a registered pharmacist to lend his registration to any other person. He/she can function only at one place at a time. But non-pharmacists continue to operate medical shops with rented certificates of pharmacists. It is high time all the state governments enforced the PPR in letter and spirit to ensure due respect and recognition to the pharmacist community.
Here’s an updated and verified overview of the successful adoption of Pharmacy Practice Regulations (PPR) across Indian Railways’ medical facilities nationwide:
✅ Overview: Adoption of Pharmacy Practice Regulations
- In January 2025, it was officially declared that all Indian Railways’ hospitals and health units (125 hospitals + 133 recognized hospitals across zones) have adopted the Pharmacy Practice Regulations (PPR)—a significant professional regulatory framework under the Pharmacy Act and Drugs & Cosmetics Act
- The Health Directorate at Railway Board coordinated implementation via the Directorate General of Railway Health Services, with zonal-level oversight by Chief Medical Directors and Divisional Chief Medical Superintendents
🩺 What Do These Regulations Enforce?
Under PPR 2015, pharmacists in Railway facilities must follow standards that include:
- Being qualified and registered, and dispensing medicines only from licensed healthcare settings.
- Adhering to a uniform professional code of conduct and ethics.
- Providing patient counseling, medication usage advice, and adverse drug reaction reporting.
- Wearing a white apron along with an identification badge showing name, qualification, and registration number
Prior to nationwide adoption, implementation was limited (e.g., only Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka had partially enforced PPR) making Indian Railways’ full-scale implementation a stand-out achievement.
🏥 Strengthening Pharmacy Services
These regulations align with broader healthcare modernization efforts across Indian Railways:
Hospital Management Information System (HMIS)
- Deployed since 2025, HMIS now covers 129 railway hospitals and 586 health units, managing clinical care, medical records, appointments, and pharmacy modules
Standardized Pharmacy Processes (Railway Board Order – Aug 27, 2025)
- OPD pharmacy counters have defined timings.
- Local Purchase medicines to be dispensed within 8–24 hours (faster in emergencies).
- Chronic disease patients can receive medicines for 3 or even 6 months depending on consultation — with teleconsultation options to support long-term care.
- Every facility must tie-up with Authorised Local Chemists (ALCs) for supply, under zonal guidelines and audits
- Re-engagement of retired pharmacists and hiring via the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is permitted to meet staffing requirements
🧭 Impact & Significance
| Area | Improvement Realized |
|---|---|
| Legal Compliance | Every pharmacy facility follows unified professional standards |
| Patient Safety | Only registered pharmacists dispense medicines; ADR reporting enforced |
| Service Efficiency | Local purchases made faster; bulk chronic supplies improved |
| Professionalism | Pharmacists identifiable and accountable via badge/apron code |
| Staff Availability | Retirement re-engagement & GeM hiring fills gaps |
⚠️ Challenges & Future Opportunities
- CAG Audit (2025) highlighted ongoing issues like drug quality procurement, shortages of medical equipment/staff, and lack of medical audits for referrals in ~99% of cases
- While PPR implementation raised standards, further enhanced monitoring, drug audit, and infrastructure upgrades are recommended to fully meet Indian Public Health Standards.
🧩 Why It Matters
- Sets a precedent for other government health services—by integrating ethical, clinical, and operational pharmacy standards at scale.
- Enhances trust and professionalism in a system serving ~10 million beneficiaries including employees and retirees.
- Positioned to align with broader digital transformation efforts (e.g., HMIS, telemedicine via eSanjeevani, upcoming medicine home-delivery systems)
✅ Final Summary
- Indian Railways has become the first major government health system to fully adopt Pharmacy Practice Regulations (PPR) across its entire network.
- The move promotes ethics, quality dispensing, clinical counseling, and uniform professional standards nationwide.
- Supported by HMIS rollout, pharmacy process reforms, and staffing measures, the railway health services sector is significantly modernizing.
Would you like to explore how these changes benefit railway employees and beneficiaries, or details on forthcoming services such as medicine home delivery?
