The All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), which represents nearly 12.4 lakh chemists, pharmacists, and drug distributors across the country, has announced a nationwide strike on May 20. The move is expected to affect the medicine supply for the day in several parts of India.
Why the strike
The association stated that the protest aims to highlight regulatory loopholes that allow e-pharmacies and quick-commerce medicine delivery platforms to operate without sufficient government oversight.
What's the core demand?
The association has demanded that the government withdraw two notifications - GSR 220(E) and GSR 817 (E).
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These provisions have allowed online pharmacies to function in a legal grey area, without a comprehensive regulatory framework governing how they verify prescriptions, dispense medicines and are held accountable for violations.
GSR 220(E) was an emergency notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2020 to allow registered pharmacies to deliver medicines to consumers' doorsteps during the COVID-19 pandemic. The notification was supposed to be a temporary public health measure.
GSR 817 (E) is a highly controversial notification that was issued in 2018. It proposed amending the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, to officially regulate the online sale of medicines and legalise operations of e-pharmacies across India.
Though GSR 817 (E) was issued to create a regulatory framework for e-pharmacies in India, it was never formally notified or withdrawn.
According to Rajiv Singhal, general secretary of AIOCD, there is a growing concern about e-pharmacies and instant delivery apps fulfilling wrong or fake prescriptions. "We understand that online pharmacies are here to stay, but they should be regulated rigorously," he said.
The traditional chemists are worried over both patient safety and market competition. Along with fake prescriptions, they argue that hefty pricing by large corporate-backed e-pharmacies are distorting the market.
Meanwhile, the government has assured the chemists' body last month that their demands would be reviewed. However, the association says that such assurances are inadequate.