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Patiala, Oct.10, 2026:--Sponsored by the Pharmacy Council of India, New Delhi, and organised by the Punjab Pharmacy Council, Mohali, the state-level celebration of World Pharmacist Day and National Pharmacy Week-2026 was held at . This was the first state-level event of its kind in Punjab, and its main objective is to increase public awareness under the campaign “Healthy India: Combating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).” More than 2,000 pharmacy professionals, teachers and students from around 110 pharmacy colleges of Punjab took part in the programme. On this occasion, an Antimicrobial Resistance awareness rally of about 1,500 participants was held, conveying the message of proper and responsible use of antibiotics and the prevention of AMR. The celebration included an inaugural session, an expert panel discussion, and competitions in pharma quiz, science cartoon (Scitoon), poster, leaflet and street play (nukkad natak).Punjabi University, Patiala
Dr. Montu Kumar M. Patel, President of the Pharmacy Council of India, inaugurated the programme as chief guest. In addition, vice chancellor of various universities and distinguished personalities from the pharmacy field were also present. Addressing the “Considering the situation Punjab is currently going through, we have moved quite far ahead in the field of pharmacy. Along with this, many universities can also do very good work in this direction.” Praising the children who came to the rally, he said that since 4 in the morning, children had travelled from far-off places to take part in the programme and had been sitting for so long. He said that students coming here after such a long journey from rural and remote areas shows a very great strength of the pharmacy field.programme, Dr. Montu Kumar M. Patel, President of the Pharmacy Council of India, said:
He said that the real work is to send students to village and slum (jhuggi-jhopdi) areas. By adopting these areas, pharmacists should see whether the people there are taking their medicines properly or not. Giving them the right guidance is the main work of our pharmacists. If pharmacists start this work by going to the grassroots of society, the government will also make better policies for them. The Drug Department, the Pharmacy Council and policy makers will understand the real value of pharmacists, which will create new employment opportunities for them in the future and a strong policy. But this is possible only when our academic institutions are fully active. He appealed to all the pharmacy professors and the managements of educational institutions present at the programme to organise such rallies and activities every month in their respective areas. This will give students the right guidance and the chance to connect directly with the public.
Dr. Patel stressed that only when students interact directly with patients and the general public will they learn about the real market. They will understand how many medicines are in the market and which diseases, bacteria or viruses are spreading in society. Only when they learn the ground reality and the gaps in the market will students get a new vision of what new research they should do and what new technology they should find. Only then can the children do something new.
Prof. (Dr.) Jagdeep Singh, Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, addressing the programme, said the people, that the world is facing the consequences of environmental damage. In this regard, the United Nations has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide us on how to protect our planet, the life that lives on it, humanity and all living beings. Among these goals, the third Sustainable Development Goal is directly related to health. When we talk about healthcare, the discussion often begins with doctors and nurses. However, there is another very important part of the healthcare system: the pharmacist. A doctor’s responsibility is to diagnose the illness, while a pharmacist makes sure that the medicine prescribed by the doctor is taken in the right dose, at the right time and for the right duration.
Our healthcare system includes government healthcare services. Despite the large size of the government system, many private players are also contributing greatly to healthcare. Efforts made together with them aim to ensure that everyone in the world’s most populous country can live a healthy life. In achieving this goal, the role of the pharmacist is very important. The programme was convened by Sushil Bansal, President of the was the programme coordinator. At the closing ceremony, the winners of the various competitions were honoured . This event is an important initiative towards strengthening collaboration among pharmacy institutions and increasing public awareness about Antimicrobial Resistance.Punjab Pharmacy Council, Mohali, while Dr. Suresh Kumar
