Nationwide protest today by chemists against e-pharma regulations

The central government wants to encourage the purchase of medicines online and at the same time compel all pharmaceutical shops to register online to prevent the sale of substandard drugs. But will these steps really curb the sale of poor quality drugs which is a government responsibility at the manufacture stage of these drugs and not at the stage of dispensing,

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has called for a nationwide protest today (on Tuesday)against the stringent e-pharmacy regulations of the Central government which support the online sale of medicines. The AIOCD president Jagannath Shinde said, “The association believes that the proposal of e-portal will lead to scarcity of medicines in the country.”

Following a government public notice in April on e-portal, the association submitted a point-wise representation to the Health Ministry. Their biggest worry is a massive cut in profit margins with stiff competition from e-portals. In the last three years, at least a dozen e-pharmacy websites have come up, providing an option to upload a prescription that will be verified by a pharmacist and medicines delivered at the doorstep.

Meanwhile, the Indian Internet Pharmacy Association (IIPA), an umbrella body for e-pharma portals, said e-pharmacy will enable transparent drug dispensing mechanism and give high accountability as the entire procedure will be tracked.

How many Indians book their movie tickets online?

Extra discounts over online purchases have also attracted the internet-savvy for buying medicines. It has become a new method of raking in profit by obliterating the small competitions given by the many medical shops that dot the cities, towns and countryside. The question also arises that this trend will hit many who are employed here and thus make them virtually jobless. Shouldn’t the government which promises jobs to the youth atleast guard these existing jobs? And what about the thousands and millions of Indians who have no access to net or e- purchase of medicines? Should they stop using these drugs?

As many as 8.5 lakh private medicine shops across the country will remain closed on Tuesday as a protest against the new e- pharma regulations of the government. How many Indians book their movie tickets online? And here we are talking about mainly the elderly population and women and children who are sick and need treatment on an emergency basis, whether they are in a city or a remote village.