Now, chemists seek pharmacists
With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) coming down heavily on chemists for not adhering to the law of having a pharmacist at all times in their medical stores, chemists are going all out to hire pharmacists. Chemists in Mumbai are now luring pharmacists from rural districts with accommodation and fat salaries to join.
“We are now looking at bringing pharmacists from other districts in the city. We are even providing them accommodation, which was something unconceivable before this,” said Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association (MSCDA).
The association has sent a circular to their district offices stating that if there is a pharmacist looking for a job, they should contact the association in Mumbai and they can rest assured of a “handsome salary and accommodation.”
According to the members of the chemist association, around 3,000 pharmacists were employed with chemist stores in the state in the past 15 to 20 days. Of the 54,000 chemists in the state, MSCDA said that 25 per cent of them don’t have a single pharmacist. “We are not against the law, we just want a some time for hiring a pharmacist,” said Anil Navander, general secretary of MSCDA.
To aid chemist stores to identify pharmacists in their locality, the MSCDA officials have even sought contact details of a registered pharmacist in each district from the state pharmacy council. “We have mailed the district offices the contact of these pharmacists so they can trace and employ whoever is available,” said Mr Navander. In February, the chemist stores had agitated against the FDA inspecting their stores for qualified pharmacists.
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