However, the medical stores located in the premises of government hospitals were operational.
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“The proposed provision of online sale of medicines would lead to all these chemists becoming unemployed”, Chairman of the Association Mahendra Luthra said.
“The government should crack down on online sale of medicines”. The only reason we allowed 10 percent to remain open was to avoid any difficulty to patients.
He said online pharmacies were threatening the jobs of almost eight million people employed by chemists. Expressing his concerns, Rohit Khanduja of Haryana State Pharmacy Council said the online sale of medicines would lift any check on sale of medicines used by drug addicts. The action was for violation of Rule 65 of Drugs & Cosmetics Act which specifies that only a licensed dealer can sell drugs to a customer on production of a doctor’s prescription.
Online pharmacies are a relatively new phenomenon in India, where mom-and-pop stores have long dispensed drugs.
J.S. Shinde, president of the All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists which called the protest, said the retailers’ trade group will consider an indefinite strike if the government does not stop online drug sales within two months.
In short, they want that medicines should only be sold via offline medium.
The AIOCD feels that in view of these issues, opening the doors of an e-pharmacy could be detrimental to the health of the population without studying the possible risks and threats associate with the move.
Saying that there is no qualified doctor in rural areas of the country, JS Shinde said that in such areas, unqualified doctors would order or prescribe medicines through e-pharmacy if the system is legalised.
The drug distribution industry in India is estimated to be valued at around Rs 83,000 crores, which could more than triple to cross Rs 300,000 crores by 2020, according to reports.
The delegation of AIOCD will meet the health ministry officials next week.
An association of pharmacies in the newly created state of Telangana in eastern India, said: “Online availability of drugs will encourage irrational use of drugs, increase risk of adverse drug reaction, could make youth addicted because of easy accessibility”.
“We will struggle if multinationals enter this business”, he said.
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Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Goa State branch and the Goa Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (GPMA), have extended their support to the bandh.
