More than 15 lakh chemists and druggists across the country will keep their medical stores shut on May 20 to protest against illegal online sale of medicines and “unprofessional competition” by corporate firms, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference in Thane, AIOCD president and former MLC Jagannath Shinde said the nationwide bandh has been called to demand withdrawal of notifications issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allegedly enabled misuse of online medicine sales. “Medical shops attached to hospitals would remain open during the bandh and emergency medicine services would not be disrupted,” he said.
Shinde said online sale had led to circulation of fake drugs, antibiotics and scheduled medicines without prescriptions, posing a serious threat to public health, particularly to the youth. “The online sale of drugs has become hazardous for the nation and needs to be checked on priority. Moreover, deep discounts offered by online companies are proving to be a death knell for small chemists and retailers,” he alleged.
The Centre had issued special exemptions during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure home delivery of medicines, but those provisions continued despite the pandemic ending several years ago, Shinde pointed out. Online companies are exploiting these relaxations and engaging in unfair competition through discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent, he added.
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