Rotary North fetes city Pharmacists

Mysore/Mysuru:  Maintaining that public healthcare and education were lacking in quality, former Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University Prof. K.S. Rangappa said that the society should discuss this issue.

He was speaking at the World Pharmacists Day celebration organised by Rotary North in association with Sharath Medicals at Ideal Jawa Rotary Hall on JLB Road here recently.

Asserting that India is a land of intelligent youths, Prof. Rangappa wondered why public health care, education and other key sectors were lacking in timely and quality services. Suggesting a public debate on the issue, he opined that Professors in Universities, who are paid high salaries, are not doing justice to their job. Contending that quality of education was lacking right from the Primary level to Post-Graduate studies, he also stressed on the need for a debate on whether patients were getting quality treatment at Government Hospitals, where doctors are paid high salaries and other benefits. He also questioned whether public health care of the Government was necessary at all, when patients have to go to private hospitals for getting quality treatment.

Citing the example of China, which blossomed in almost all sectors after struggling to provide even sufficient food to its enormous population three decades ago, Prof. Rangappa observed that the will, dedication and determination of the Chinese led the country to overcome its difficulties in a short span of time.

Lauding the role of Pharmacists during the COVID pandemic, he said that the concerted efforts of scientists and doctors across the world  helped a lot in developing a vaccine for the deadly COVID in a short span of time. He also said that the role of Pharmacists in healthcare was no lesser than that of medical professionals when the pandemic struck the country  two years ago.

Pharmacists too played a vital role in saving the lives of thousands of patients, by timely dispensation and delivery of life saving drugs. He also lauded the Rotary for recognising the work of Pharmacists and honouring them.

Five city Pharmacists — A.C. Krishnappa of Krishna Medicals in N.R. Mohalla, R. Roopa of Shashank Medicals in Hebbal, H.V. Chandrashekar of Shivananda Medicals in J.C. Nagar, Anees Ahmed of Noble Drug House in Udayagiri and S. Umesh of Sowmya Medicals in Metagalli — were honoured on the occasion with ‘M. Niranjanamurthy Memorial Rotary Pharmacist and Chemist Award-2022’.

Mysuru Zone Additional Drugs Controller S. Nagaraj, Deputy Drugs Controller B.P. Arun, Drugs Supervisor Harish, Rotary North President S.H. Jagadish, Rotarians A.P. Virupaksha, G.R. Shivakumar, Rajashekar Kadamba and  K. Lokanath, former Corporator K.V. Mallesh, Karnataka Folklore University Syndicate member K. Vasanth, Sujatha, wife of late Pharmacist M. Niranjanamurthy, Dr. Sharath, former District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President M. Chandrashekar and others were present.