Chemists on partial strike from Feb. 19
The Retail and Dispensing Chemist Association (RDCA) went on a partial strike from Tuesday onwards, operating only for eight hours i.e. from 10 am to 6 pm. The RDCA said that the strike would continue and spread to the rest of the state, until and unless the Food and Drug Admini-stration (FDA) stopped its “harassment”.
The partial strike is in protest of the crackdown by the FDA for not adhering to the rulebook for dispensing of medicines to customers. The FDA has made it mandatory for chemists to have a qualified pharmacist round the clock, which chemists feel is “not practical”.
“The rule has been in existence for the past 70 years, but I don’t think there has been one instance where a person has died because of the shopkeeper’s mistake. The FDA requires us to have a pharmacist at all times, which is not feasible. We have a pharmacist, but if our shop is open for 12 hours, we would need two pharmacists…if it’s open for 24 hours, then three. This is highly impossible,” Prasad Danave, general secretary RDCA said.
Chemists too claimed that pharmacists only work for eight hours, and since they (chemists) need to keep their shops open beyond that time, the new policy now puts them at the risk of losing their licence.
When contacted, the president of Maharashtra Chemists, and Druggists Association — the parent body of RDCA — said, “We had a meeting with the CM today. A drug advisory committee will be formed, which will comprise FDA officials, government representatives and traders.”
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