Over 2,000 chemists of Retail and Dispensing Chemists of Association (RDCA) and Pharmacutical Wholesales Association (PWA) gathered to address their grievances to the minister of state for FDA, Satej Patil on Monday.
The FDA started a drive to ensure that a pharmacist is present in every medical store and if it was adhering to the rulebook and ensuring that patients, who are buying medicines, are properly counselled.
Kamlesh B. Shende, joint commissioner (drugs), Greater Mumbai, said, “We are conducting this drive so that, patients, who buy medicines are counselled well.”
However, RDCA feels that they are being victimised. Irfan Sunasara, a member of RDCA, who runs a shop in Santa Cruz (west) said, “Six days ago, an FDA officer shut down my store because my pharmacist had stepped out for a meal. They did not even give him time to return. Now, I have to follow long legal procedures to get my shop running again.” RDCA also raised concerns like allowance of hearing plea or a warning and not shutting down a shop, etc.
Mr Patil, who was addressing the RDAC members said, “There are some valid concerns of the RDCA, which needs to be addressed. They have demanded time, a warning, instead of immediate shutting down. They also raised the issue of areas like Dharavi, where there are many small shops, that cannot afford a pharmacist, but have to run, because of the areas they are located in.
I also spoke to the commissioner regarding this matter, since it has become a recurrent issue, I hope to resolve this so that, from March-April onwards, these issues do not crop up.”