SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Healthcare Association (MHA) affiliated to the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) opposed the move of the central government to regularise e-pharmacy, or sale of medicines online.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, vice-president of the association David Kharsati asserted that e-pharmacy will encourage misuse of drugs as there will be cases of overdose due to easy access to ‘prescription only’ medicines online.
MHA general secretary Barun Chakraborty said the AIOCD will declare a nationwide chemists’ strike from 12 midnight of September 27 till the midnight of September 28.
According to the association, sale of medicines online is “totally illegal as per present provision of Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules, 1945”.
Also, e-Pharmacy will lead to increased risk of adverse drug reaction, easy opening to entry of low quality, misbranded and spurious medicines, besides danger of irrational use of medicines, it added.
“There will be an economical set back to 8.5 lakh chemists and approximately 3 crore workers and their families,” Kharsati said.
