17-member panel to detect, assess, report ADR cases
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, June 11: In line with the guidelines provided by the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura has taken a proactive step by establishing a Pharmacovigilance Committee. This committee aims to identify and address any potential negative consequences or issues associated with medications administered at the hospital.
The committee, formed in accordance with the norms set by the NMC and National Board of Examinations in New Delhi, will work towards the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine/vaccine-related problems at SKIMS. It will comprise faculty members and officers from various departments.
According to officials, the committee’s primary responsibility will be to identify and report any Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) among all healthcare providers, including doctors, consultants, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, postgraduate and undergraduate students, as well as service providers of SKIMS, Soura, and SKIMS Medical College & Hospital, Bemina. “The identified ADRs will be promptly reported to the National Pharmacovigilance Center, the appropriate authority in this case,” they said.
The committee will also monitor the benefit-risk profile of medicines and provide independent, evidence-based recommendations on their safety. “It will also ensure that the findings are effectively communicated to all key stakeholders.”
Heading the committee will be Prof. Farooq Ahmad Jan, Medical Superintendent of SKIMS, Soura, as the Chairman. The top panel will consist of expert doctors from SKIMS, Soura, and SKIMS Medical College & Hospital, Bemina.
From SKIMS, Soura, the committee will include Prof. Sheikh Riaz Rasool from the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Prof. Bashir Ahmad Dar from the Department of Anesthesiology, Prof. Qazi Iqbal from the Department of Neonatology & Pediatrics, Prof. Ajaz Nabi Koul from the Department of General Medicine, Prof. Rabia Khurshid from the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dr Shakeel Ahmad Mir, Additional Professor from the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, the Officer In-charge of Drug & Pharmacy, and the Officer In-charge of Nursing Administration as members. Dr Munir Ahmad Wani from the Department of General Surgery has been designated as the Member Secretary.
Similarly, from SKIMS Medical College & Hospital, Bemina, the constituted Pharmacovigilance Committee will have Prof. Shafa A. W. Deva, Medical Superintendent, Dr Seema Qayoom from the Department of Dermatology, Dr Abdul Majid Ganai from the Department of Psychiatry, Dr Mohammad Shakeel Sheikh from the Department of Dentistry, Dr Sheikh Sajad Ahmad from the Department of Ophthalmology, Dr Saheel Majid from the Department of Orthopedics, and Dr Asif Ahmad Wani from the Department of E.N.T as its members.
Furthermore, the committee, whose order of constitution has already been put out by Direction, SKIMS, has been entrusted with the task of establishing a national centre of excellence that aligns with global drug safety monitoring standards. Additionally, it will focus on promoting research based on Pharmacovigilance and undertake activities to strengthen the ongoing Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI).
According to officials, the panel, comprising 17 members, will also make concerted efforts to minimize the occurrence of ADRs, ultimately making drug therapy safer and more rational.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
