If you are planning to visit a local medical store today, you may want to check before stepping out. More than 15 lakh chemists and druggists across India are expected to keep their shops shut as part of a nationwide strike called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).
The protest is mainly against the online sale of medicines and what the organisation calls unfair competition from large corporate-backed pharmacy platforms.
According to a PTI report, AIOCD president and former MLC Jagannath Shinde announced the bandh during a press conference in Thane on Monday. Shinde said the organisation is demanding the withdrawal of notifications issued during the COVID-19 pandemic that allegedly allowed the misuse of online medicine sales.
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At the same time, he clarified that emergency healthcare needs would not be affected. “Medical shops attached to hospitals would remain open during the bandh and emergency medicine services would not be disrupted,” he said.
The organisation claims that the continued growth of online medicine platforms has created serious concerns around public safety and regulation.
Shinde claimed that fake medicines, antibiotics and even scheduled drugs are being sold without valid prescriptions on some platforms, calling it a serious public health issue.
“The online sale of drugs has become hazardous for the nation and needs to be checked on priority,” he alleged.
The organisation also says small pharmacy owners are struggling to compete with the heavy discounts offered online. “Deep discounts offered by online companies were proving to be a death knell for small chemists and retailers,” Shinde said.
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According to the AIOCD, discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent are becoming common, making it difficult for independent medical stores to survive.
Vilas Joshi and other office bearers from the Thane Chemists and Druggists Association were also present at the press conference. While emergency medicine access is expected to continue through hospital-linked pharmacies, the strike is likely to affect regular medicine purchases in several cities throughout the day.
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