New Delhi : The All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), which represents 12.40 lakh chemists and distributors across the country, has threatened to launch a nationwide agitation if the Central government fails to revoke the notification GSR 220 (E) issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notification GSR 220 (E), issued in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed doorstep delivery of medicines under certain conditions, per Section 26B of the Drugs Act, to regulate their manufacture, sale, and distribution amidst movement restrictions.
Under this, doorstep delivery of medicines was allowed and some rules, such as the requirement to stamp the prescription for the sale of medicines (Rule 65), were temporarily set aside only as a special circumstance.
In a statement AIOCD general secretary Rajiv Singhal said , “We appealed to the Central government to immediately withdraw the special permission under the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver medicines at the doorstep as it is being misused by illegal online platforms, posing a threat to public health,”
He further said that in the initial stage, members of the AIOCD will organise halla bol at the district level besides wearing black badges to express their demand. “After conducting the first phase of agitation, we will chalk out the second course of action,” Singhal said.
Singhal said that the main purpose of this notification was to deliver medicines in emergencies through local chemists, but now it is being misused by Swiggy and other digital platforms to deliver medicines at home without following the necessary regulatory safety measures.
“All these platforms are selling medicines without a valid prescription, which is increasing serious problems like self-medication, drug abuse and antimicrobial resistance. All such platforms are focusing only on their profits by ignoring the safety of patients,” Singhal added.
The AIOCD said that with the emergency phase of the pandemic no longer exists and normalcy returned “therefore notification is no longer relevant and should be withdrawn immediately.”
“We demand strict adherence to prescription and other safety rules for the sale and distribution of medicines should be ensured. Illegal online sale of medicines in the country should be stopped with immediate effect so that unregulated sale of medicines can be stopped,” reads the statement.
