Bitter over e-platform plan, chemists on strike today

Over 800,000 chemists across the country will shut shop on Tuesday to protest the government’s plan to set up an e-platform to regulate the sale of drugs.

The president of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, (AIOCD), Jagannath Shinde, said the strike has full support from members across India and all stores, except those in hospitals and day-&-night outlets, would remain closed. But, there are indications that the strike might not be total.

The government has proposed to set up an e-platform, on which chemists have to be registered, to track the movement of medicines from a manufacturer to a patient. Chemists would have to upload details of all medicines purchased and sold and also pay a transaction fee to support the cost of running the system. MedPlus, which runs 1,400 outlets in the south and the east, said it would not take part in the strike and “will try and keep all stores open.”

Around 600 medical-store owners in Tamil Nadu have agreed to wear black bands in protest but will keep their outlets open. Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration Commissioner Harshdeep Kamble said he expected 4,000 of the 45,000 stores in the state to remain open.

“I am not saying there will be no problem, but we are prepared to tackle it. Instructions are being issued to 24-hour chemists to remain open. Assistant commissioners will be monitoring the situation,” he said.

AIOCD’s Shinde said: “We are opposed to the government proposal to make the e-portal mandatory for chemists. Also we are against the plan to charge chemists one per cent of the cost of medicine for the maintenance of the portal. He added that uploading details of purchases and sales daily would be difficult in rural areas where internet connectivity was poor.

Chemists would also have to upload details such as the registration number of the doctor concerned while selling a drug to a patient on the e-platform. Bills would be generated via this system.

“There are many doctors who practice ayurveda, homeopathy and unani but prescribe allopathic medicines,” said Shinde. “This is a serious problem. If medicines are denied on such prescriptions, people in rural areas will be deprived of medicines.”