6,500 chemists shut, will challenge law for online pharmacies
MUMBAI: Although associations of chemists declared their 24-hour strike on Friday ‘successful’, they said they will continue to protests against the Centre’s notification to regularise online pharmacies.
Members of the associations said if the Centre introduces a law to regulate online pharmacies, they will challenge it in the court.
Prasad Danve from the Chemist Association of Maharashtra said, “We don’t want to hassle patients, but if e-pharmacies are regularised, there is a risk of drug abuse, harm to chemist-patient counselling and monopoly which may create drug shortage.”
More than 6,500 pharmacies in the city and eight lakh across the country took part in the strike.
The pharmacies attached to KEM hospital, BYL Nair hospital and LTMG Sion hospital remained open. However, patients whose medicines were not available with the in-house chemists at these hospitals had a hard time. Ramchandra Ghosh, 65, who underwent an operation on Wednesday, said he had travelled from Vashi on Friday to return some medicines at a Parel shop, only to find it shut. Rajini Sepoor, a 54-year-old resident of Parel, who was hoping to buy dialysis medication for her husband said “it was a waste of time”.
Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, had set up helpline numbers and Whatsapp service for the day. “We hardly received calls as shops in areas such as Dadar to Mahim, Goregaon to Malad, and Mulund were open, apart from ones in BMC hospitals,” said D R Gahane, assistant commissioner (drugs), FDA.