DIMAPUR — The
All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) and Nagaland Medicine
Dealers Association (NMDA) have, for the third time, written to the Secretary
of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, appealing to revoke the notification
G.S.R. 220issued during the COVID-19
pandemic.
In a press release dated Dec. 26, the NDMA stated that the
notification G.S.R. 220was published in
March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein supply of medicines to the
doorstep was allowed with some conditions under Section 26B of the Drugs Act to
regulate the manufacture, sale, and distribution of medicines.
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,
the association informed.
According to the AIOCD, the main purpose of the notification
was to deliver medicines in emergency situations through local chemists.
However, AIOCD and NDMA claimed that the notification is
currently being misused by Swiggy and other digital platforms to deliver
medicines at home without following the necessary regulatory safety measures.
“All these illegal platforms are selling medicines without a
valid prescription, which is increasing serious problems like self-medication,
drug abuse, and antimicrobial resistance. All such illegal platforms are
focusing only on their profits by ignoring the safety of patients.
“AIOCD and NMDA have said that the original intention of
this notification was to make the delivery of medicines in specific
circumstances for valid licensed nearby chemists—not for online platforms to
bypass important safety measures. All these online platforms are ignoring the
rules of drug delivery for their convenience, which can have a negative impact
on the health of the public,” the release stated.
With the emergency phase of the pandemic no longer in existence,
the AIOCD has demanded immediate withdrawal of the notification, strict
adherence to prescription and other safety rules for the sale and distribution
of medicines should be ensured, and ban on illegal online sale of medicines in
the country.
“AIOCD and Nagaland Medicine Dealers Association believe
that this step is necessary to maintain public health and safety. If the
government does not act positively, AIOCD and Nagaland Medicine Dealers
Association shall be forced to launch agitation with all its 12.40 lakh
members,” the release added.
