Mumbai : In order to help poor patients procure medicines, the state government is going to start 300 generic medical shops while the central government is going to open 1,000 generic medical shops across the state.
Around 55,000 retail chemists and pharmacists in state were on day-long nationwide strike on Wednesday called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), demanding a ban on online sale of medicines. Meanwhile, the sub-committee appointed by the state government discussed the demands of the pharmacists with their representatives.
The state government is also working on a plan to prevent misuse of medicines. The government has written to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the pharmacists’ association not to sell medicines without proscription.
Food and drug minister Girish Bapat said: “The sub-committee is working on rules to ensure the common man is not cheated. Medicines should be available only with proper prescription. The doctor should sign on the prescription. There are some more measures being planned to stop misuse of medicines and sale of medicines without prescription.”
“The committee will submit its report in the next two months, after which we will implement some more restrictions on the sale of medicine. The doctor’s sign would be scanned and only after checking authenticity of the prescription and the doctor will the chemist give the medicine. We are going to introduce the technology required for this process and the committee is working on it,” Bapat said.
“Currently, the government does not have enough staff for the food and drug administration to keep check on all the pharmacists as to whether they are following the rule or not. We don’t have enough inspectors, so we have plans to appoint fresh graduate and diploma holders in pharmacy, who will be compulsorily asked to work as apprentices for two years,” he said.
“The government is in support of generic medicine and if any chemist or pharmacist is opposing it, we will not tolerate it. The doctors were also informed through their association that they should prescribe generic medicines for the patients,” Bapat said.
“To make generic medicines available to poor patients, the state government is going to start 300 generic medicine shops in particular areas. The central government is also helping to open 1,000 generic medical stores across the state,” he confirmed.
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Pharmacists resume work today
After a day-long nationwide strike on Wednesday, All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) stated that they will resume their work on Thursday. President of AIOCD JJ Shinde stated their delegation had a meeting with CM Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday wherein they have been assured their demands will be fulfilled immediately.
“Our all-India strike against online sale of medicines was successful as the CM stated that our issues will be taken to the central and health ministry. We will once again write to all the ministers and express our concerns over the online sale of medicines. We will no more go on an indefinite strike and will resume our duties today [Thursday],” he said.
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