Hello Mani,

A pharmacy degree is not necessary to open a medical store on the retail level. With the proper licensing and permission from the state's drug control office, anybody can open a retail pharmacy. However, the proprietor should hire a licensed pharmacist (D.Pharm. or B.Pharm. degree required for registered pharmacist licensee) to handle the pharmaceutical distribution.

IGNOU does not provide a D.Pharm programme in open/distance mode; instead, it is a standard 2-year on-campus diploma. To become a registered pharmacist in India, one must complete a Doctor of Pharmacy (D.Pharm) degree programme from an institution approved by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and associated with a university or state department of medical education. Any degree earned through a correspondence course was not accepted by PCI for purposes of registration.

Therefore, if you hold a PGDPSM of IGNOU and wish to open up a medical store yourself without hiring pharmacist, you cannot do so without obtaining a degree from a PCI approved institution.

Hope this helped. Best of luck!