Chemist shops closed for 2 consecutive days

UCKNOW: Drug stores in Lucknow will remain closed for two consecutive days. On Wednesday, chemist shops will remain closed in support of the nationwide bandh call given by the All India Chemists and Druggist Organisation (AICDO) against online pharmacies . On Thursday, the entire wholesale market of the city and major retail shops of some areas will again be shut owing to weekly closure.

“Permission for online sale of medicines will make about 40 lakh people, employed at different medical stores, jobless. Thousands of medical stores across the country will bring down shutters on their shops in protests against online pharmacies,” said Giriraj Rastogi, patron of AICDO’s Uttar Pradesh chapter.

Office-bearers of AICDO distributed pamphlets on Monday and held meetings with the medicine traders of the Aminabad wholesale medical market.

“Buying drugs online, something that the central government is planning to give permission to, is illegal. It’s also risky as it can promote irrational use of drugs, especially sedatives. Online drug delivery is an illegal trade that is not permitted under the Drug and Cosmetic Act,” said Suresh Gupta.

Explaining further he said, “One can order any medicine on the basis of a scanned prescription and send it to online firms. This prescription can be genuine or fake.”

“Deploying pharmacists, another proposal by the central government, is also not possible as there are not enough pharmacists in the state to cater to all the shops,” added Gupta.

In this entire dispute between AIDCO and the central government, patients will have to suffer. Many people, who take medicines on regular basis, such as, diabetics or those with chronic conditions like arthritis, buy medicines from wholesale markets to get them at cheaper rates. Such people will have to ensure that they have medicines stocked up for both Wednesday and Thursday, or travel long distances to procure them.