Wholesale drug market to function partly in Amritsar

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 27

The district administration has allowed the wholesale drug market to open for a specified time for sale of medicines.

Three lists of drug wholesalers in Katra Sher Singh Market have been prepared. Chemists in the first list will open their shops from 7 pm to 12 midnight while those having their shops outside Katra Sher Singh Market, who fall in second list and third lists, are allowed to open their shops from 5 am to 10 am on coming Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Members of the Punjab Chemist Association (PCA), however, said the mechanism has created confusion among owners of the medical stores. They said those who had huge quantity of medicines stored with them have been left out of the list.

Surinder Duggal, the president of the PCA, said: “We had given a list of at least 375 drug wholesalers to the local drug authorities, but many of them have been kept out.”

Ever since the curfew was announced in the state four days ago, the wholesale medicine market has been shut. This has led to a shortage of medicines, including lifesaving drugs, at the retail shops and the people are having a difficult time. Though the administration has released contact number of chemists for doorstep delivery of medicine, most of them have expressed their inability to service customers due to a shortage of medicines and also the lack of staff for home delivery.

The administration had authorised several wholesale drug shops which do not have a sufficient supply of medicines, said a resident of the Posh Rani Ka Bagh area. Survival of those suffering from ailments is at risk due to failures of the district administration to streamline the system.

Karan Sachdeva from the Zonal Drug Authority said a blanket curfew pass has been given to wholesale dealers and it was their responsibility to provide medicines to retailers. The wholesale dealers could also issue passes to their employees, he said. Sachdeva said the district administration was formulating a plan to allow chemists to open their shops.

Assn demands insurance cover for chemists, staff

The Punjab Chemists’ Association on Friday sought insurance cover for the chemists and staff working in these shops after the Central Government announced insurance for the health staff, including doctors, nurses and paramedics treating patients in the government hospitals.

Surinder Duggal, president of the association, said there were around 8.5 lakh chemists, who along with their staff, were serving the nation in this hour of crisis by supplying medicines to people on the doorstep. He said medicines were being provided on the doorstep and at retail counters. He said they also faced a greater risk of contracting the deadly Covid-19 virus.

The association urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the insurance cover to registered chemists all over the country. Duggal said it was the duty of the government to protect the interests of the chemists as they came forward to help needy people.