Despite pharma college boom, thousands of seats go vacant in state

Pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra have a record number of vacancies, with 14,000 for BPharm and 6,977 for DPharm courses. The increase in colleges is raising concerns about the quality of education and the potential surplus of unemployed graduates.

Mumbai: Pharmacy colleges across Maharashtra, this year, saw a significant increase in vacancies with a staggering 14,000 vacancies for Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) education and 6,977 vacancies for Diploma of Pharmacy (DPharm).

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Experts said the number of pharmacy colleges in the state have reached an alarming level, as 136 DPharm and 57 BPharm institutions have started this year. The education sector is increasingly apprehensive about the proliferation of pharmacy colleges, which are nationally recognised by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). This year, 628 colleges, including the newly established ones, offered admissions to DPharm courses. Despite a combined capacity of 37,690 seats available for DPharm admission, only 30,713 have been filled.

In the case of BPharm, the state boasts 453 colleges - of which 57 are new - with a total capacity of 42,794 seats. However, only 28,432 have been filled, leaving a substantial 14,362 seats vacant.

“The increasing number of pharmacy colleges in the state has raised concerns over the quality of pharmacy education and its potential impact on the overall educational quality to ensure the maintenance of educational standards,” said professor Milind Umekar, national president of All India Pharmacy Teachers Association. He also stated that PCI must call for regular inspections of colleges, evaluating factors such as faculty, infrastructure, and equipment availability.

Umekar added, “This was the situation for engineering colleges some years back. To control this situation on time, the government must intervene and stop mushrooming of pharmacy colleges.”

Umekar also highlighted that the situation is exacerbated by a failure to fill pharmacist positions in government hospitals, and job opportunities in the private sector are also on the decline. “There are concerns that the surge in pharmacy colleges may lead to a surplus of unemployed graduates and undermine the value of a pharmacy education.”