New pharma courses in the offing

The city-based EIILM, has taken up an ambitious project to set up a chain of pharma management institutes across eight states of India at an aggregate investment of Rs 40 crore over three years. 

After the first campus in Kolkata being inaugurated last year, it is all set to open the Bangalore campus from June this year, followed by Chandigarh in August. And in a phased manner six other state campuses by 2014. Besides West Bengal, Karnataka and Punjab, the other states in the offing are: Tamil Nadu, Maharasthra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and one in northeast. 

Last year, Kolkata based educational group, EIILM, became Asia’s first institute to introduce a five-year integrated BBA and MBA course in pharma management. In a smart initiative to protect its patent over a first in India pharma course, Dr Soumendra Bandopadhaya, founder director of EIILM, has procured a name and curriculum copyright from Calcutta High court which makes it an exclusive course in pharma management in the country.

The course rolls medicine, engineering and management into an assorted program, which for many years, the pharma companies have been clamouring for. The copyright initiative is aimed at protecting its exclusivity in the pharma management domain, nationwide.

Dr Bandopadhaya said, “In Bengaluru, we have set up a huge 10,000 sq feet campus right in the heart of the city at Brigade road. And as I announce the opening of the campus we already have 600 students asking for a berth when we can accommodate only 150 students annually.” He revealed that the Chandigarh institute would be a bigger outfit with an intake of 250 students annually.

 

Yash Khetrapal, vice president, ANG Lifesciences said, “The pharma industry is under serious pressure to supply trained manpower. BPharma as a course is outdated since they lack practical knowledge and teach nothing about the management aspect. General MBAs are no good for us either. They have no knowledge of pharma. Besides Kolkata, the new campuses in Bengaluru and Chandigarh will help the pharma companies based out of south and north India to draw students from EIILM pharma management in Bengaluru and Chandigarh.” He added, “As for my own company, EIILM has provided me a quota of just fifteen students. I am bargaining for fifty every year”.

 

The pharma management course has been divided into ten semesters spanning over 60 months and beginning right after high school.