Over 40K Medical Stores Shut Across Madhya Pradesh To Protest Online Medicine Sales; Patients Face Trouble Amid Bandh-- VIDEO

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Around 41,000 medical stores remained closed across Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday as chemists and drug traders protested against online sale of medicines.

In Bhopal alone, more than 3,000 medical shops joined the shutdown. Only medical stores operating inside hospitals were kept open for patients.

The shutdown was called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists against online medicine delivery services.

AIOCD General Secretary Rajiv Singhal said retail and wholesale medicine traders across the state supported the bandh. He said the issue was directly linked to public health, adding that there was still no clear system to properly monitor the quality and safety of medicines being delivered online to homes.

Bhopal Chemist Association president Jitendra Dhakad said all medical stores and wholesale medicine markets in Bhopal remained closed on Wednesday. Traders also burned an effigy symbolising the online medicine system during the protest.

Meanwhile, several people faced problems due to the shutdown. In Gwalior, an elderly man named Hariom Kashyap said he had come to buy medicines for his 75-year-old wife but could not find any shop open despite searching for a long time. He said the medicines were very important for her health and delays could worsen her condition.

To avoid trouble for patients, medical stores inside hospitals were kept out of the bandh. District-level task forces were also formed for emergency patients, and contact numbers were issued so that people in need could request medicines during the shutdown.

Online Pharmacy Services Started During Covid-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Government had allowed online pharmacy services to continue as an essential service so people could get medicines at home during lockdowns.

E-pharmacies were also allowed to sell medicines using digital prescriptions sent through WhatsApp or email, making medicine delivery easier without people needing to visit crowded medical stores or hospitals.