Prelude

Besides food shelter and clothing, healthcare happens to be one of main basic human needs. The health status of a community serves as an indicator of well being of a nation. Governments across the globe acknowledge this fact and strive to improve their health care delivery system.

Major breakthroughs in the development of effective and potent drugs and advances in surgical sciences during the century bygone have revolutionized the health scenario and improved the quality and life expectancy of the man. Major killer diseases, epidemics and many incurable conditions have now been relegated to the pages of history.

The edifice of modern healthcare rests primarily on medical profession, nursing care and pharmacy practice. Needless to say that the simple act of physician’s prescription for a drug and followed by its purchase and its administration in a patient in fact happens to be the culmination of a lengthy train of events. Little do we realize this job starts from discovery of chemical molecule to endless animal and human experimentation, synthesis and manufacture of drugs on large scale, presentation in a suitable form, validation of its purity/efficacy/safety, management of supply chain, inventory and distribution of drugs with the final retail dispensing. This entire complex sequence is driven by the members of the profession of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The job opportunities of pharmacists therefore follow a widespread spectrum from drug innovators in universities/industry to drug manufacture, drug analysis and validation of efficacy/safety evaluation, to distribution and mechanics of supply and management.

Though, there has been considerable progress in health sciences education sector in the State as far medical dental and nursing institutions are concerned, the development of pharmacy education in both public/private enterprise in the State has lagged behind. Except for Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Kashmir University, no College of Pharmacy till date existed in the State. Devi Lallayogeshwari (LalDed) Trust for Educational Advancement and Cultural Resurgence responded to this hiatus in the higher education and decided in 2014 to establish the first College of Pharmacy in J&K.

The trust has been a pioneer in having established the first nursing and paramedical institution in the state is committed to develop a state of Art College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the State. A distinguishing feature of the management of the institution lies in the fact the college is established by renowed health care professionals with the main motive of furthering the cause of health sciences education in the State.