Protesting against the online sale of medical drugs which was regularised by the Centre
Representational image
Hyderabad: More than 50,000 chemists in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are going on strike on Wednesday, protesting the online sale of medicines. Chemists under the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists are opposing the move of the central government towards regularizing the sale of medicines over the Internet. A token strike has been declared in the country and a total of eight lakh chemists are going on strike.
However, the Drugs Control Administration of Telangana has stated that all pharmacies in super speciality hospitals, government hospitals and nursing homes will be open on Wednesday. Generic medical stores too will be open, it said.
The dangers of online sales:
Chemists claim that the sale of medicines on the Internet is illegal and there might be increased cases of adverse drug reactions. The president of Andhra Pradesh Chemists Association Ramesh Gupta said, “Online sale of drugs will lead to irrational use of medicines and there is a severe threat being seen of sale of addiction drugs like anti-depressants, pain killers, sleeping pills etc. We also fear that cheap quality drugs from China will flood the Indian market, adding to health problems. Also, how will an online dealer verify the end user of the drugs? Medicines are not a commodity like electronic goods, ready-to-eat foods or other consumer durables. They deal with lives of the patients and any kind of misuse or wrong usage of drugs will create havoc in the society.”
Prescription drugs:
Chemists are also unhappy for being made to take photocopies of prescriptions, not giving drugs on old prescriptions and also maintaining records of antibiotic drugs sold.
Sri Ramulu, a senior chemist, said, “What will be the checks and balances for online sale of drugs? Apart from the scan of the prescription, will the photograph of the patient be attached? Will it be known who bought the drug? These issues are important as we are already suffering from the menace of misuse of drugs. Online sales are only going to further aggravate the problem.”
In defence of online sales:
Dr Surendra Mantena, chief operating officer, MedPlus Health Services Private Ltd said, "Online sale of drugs is a part of the consumer pattern where people depend on Internet and mobile phones to buy their medicines. It is convenient and a more valuable format for supply of medicines. Consumer demand is rising because of their online presence and there is pressure on retailers to cater to that demand.”
Presently in the city, MedPlus, Apollo Pharmacies and other chain stores are taking only online “bookings”. One of the advantages is that if medicines are out of stock in a particular store in the locality they can be sourced from another outlet or warehouse. B. Srinivas, who needs a combination of drugs for Parksinson’s disease for his father, said, “Online stores have ensured that one is not going from store to store searching for a particular medicine. With the Internet it is now possible to source some of the medicines even directly from the stockist hence it makes a huge difference in the monthly billing pattern.”
No clarity on delivery:
The Drug Control Authority of India does not allow for delivery of drugs at the doorstep by an online store. A senior officer said, "There is no clarity on the delivery system. It’s a grey area which requires to be chalked out properly."
Presently, many patients order medicines online with pharmacies and collect them from the nearest medical store. Discounts, membership cards and SMS reminders for monthly medicines are some of the features that are added to this sale for the convenience of the customers.
While the dynamics of business have made offline retailers jittery, online stores want a proper format and safety net in place so that the pharmaceutical companies, brands and also generic drugs of the highest quality are dispensed to customers.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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