Chemists’ shops to remain closed in Dehradun on May 30 to protest e-pharmacy

A majority of chemists’ shops will remain closed on Tuesday on the call of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) Association in support of protest against e-medicines, e-platform and mandatory DPharma course for wholesale chemists to get a license from Pharmacy Council of India.

Some of the shopkeepers have kept themselves away from the protest. The 12000 strong unemployed Graduate Phamacy Association (UGPA) has decided to keep its shutters open for the patients. According to the new rules brought in by the Centre at wholesale point too deployment of a pharmacist is mandatory just the way a pharmacist is mandatory deployed at retail point as per the guidelines of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) but this direction of Centre is not going down well with Chemists.
Meanwhile, under the garb of poor connectivity and frequent power cuts, chemists have tagged e-portal a bizarre move of the Union government. An electronic platform (e-portal) will track the movement of each drug from the day of its manufacturing to its expiry along with close watch on various paths and hands that it would travel through.
According to new norms, now each pharmacy will be required to get registered on the e-portal and its each sale and purchase need to be mandatorily updated on the system else transaction will not proceed further.

Meanwhile, T K Panthri, president, Uttaranchal Aushadhi Vyavsayi Mahasangh, felt that when allopathy medicines are being prescribed in the remote areas of hills by non-MBBS candidate, then wholesale point should not be targeted by the government. “In Uttarakhand if we go in the hills ayurvedic, unani and homeopathic doctors are giving away allopathic medicines after studies of barely 4-5 years, and here we have more than two decades experience in this field and we are being ordered to have a pharmacist at wholesale point which is completely unacceptable.”

They also pointed out at courier boy being less qualified and delivering medicines as violation of PCI, according to chemists e-medicines should be banned by PCI.

Speaking strongly against e-portal, Chemists’ Association members, added, “The clause of going on e-portal is detrimental because in Uttarahand’s just around 20% pharmacists are internet literate. And major parts of state are not even connected with electricity, leave aside digital connection. First we need to be sound in infrastructure, then these plans should be imposed with proper vision else it will only reflect poor strategy of government.”