Chemists' body calls nationwide strike against 'unlawful' e-pharmacies

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has called for a 24-hour nationwide strike from May 20-21, demanding a complete halt to the online sale of medicines, which its president, JS Shinde, termed 'entirely unlawful and illegal'.

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has called for a nationwide 24-hour medicine sales strike from May 20 to May 21, demanding a complete halt to online sale of medicines and withdrawal of certain government notifications related to e-pharmacy operations.

Online sales 'unlawful and illegal'

Speaking on the issue in an exclusive conversation with ANI, AIOCD National President JS Shinde said the online sale of medicines currently taking place in the country is "entirely unlawful and illegal."

"The online sale of medicines has recently commenced. However, the online sales currently taking place are entirely unlawful and illegal. This is because the government had previously issued a notification regarding this matter, specifically GSR 817," he said.

He stated that during the initial stages of policy discussions, the organisation had appeared before the concerned committee and opposed the idea of online sale of medicines. According to Shinde, the organisation had argued that online medicine sales were not beneficial when viewed globally and such systems could eventually "fall into the hands of the mafia." He also said a strong IT infrastructure would be required to regulate such a system properly.

"We submitted that the online sale of medicines, when viewed in a global context, is not a beneficial practice; rather, it tends to fall into the hands of the mafia. We argued that establishing such a system would necessitate the development of a robust IT infrastructure," he stated.

Chemists' body lists key demands

Shinde said the organisation has placed three major demands before the government. The first demand is cancellation of Notification GSR 817 and drafting of a fresh framework for medicine sales.

The second demand is withdrawal of Notification GSR 220, which was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our demand is that the online sale of medicines must be stopped. Cancel Notification GSR 220, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

The organisation has also raised concerns regarding deep discounts being offered by online medicine platforms. Shinde said either such discounts should be stopped or the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) should be amended to allow higher margins for offline chemists so that they can also provide discounts to consumers.

"Either put an end to these deep discounts offered by online platforms, or amend the DPCO to provide us with higher margins so that we, too, can offer greater discounts to consumers," he added.

Emergency medicines to be available

Despite the strike call, the AIOCD assured that emergency medicines would continue to remain available during the protest period. "We will provide emergency medicines whenever the need arises; we have made complete arrangements for this purpose," Shinde said.

The strike by chemists and druggists comes amid growing debate over regulation of online pharmacies and medicine delivery platforms in the country. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)