P’kula chemists stay away from strike
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, May 30
Chemist shops in Panchkula district did not took part in the nationwide strike today to protest against the “stringent” regulations on the sale of medicines. The shops in Panchkula remained open today.
According to the All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), the one-day strike was called as several of their representations to the government, opposing the regulations on the sale of medicines, went unheeded.
Sanjeev Goyal, District Chemists Association, Panchkula, said: “There are around 280 chemist shops in Panchkula and a majority of them remained open. The reason for our not having participated in today’s strike called by the AIOCD was that the long-pending demands of the retailers had until now gone unheeded by the parent body i.e. AIOCD. Thus, the grievances of the retailers were required to be resolved by the parent body immediately before expecting us
to participate in the strike call or any big move initiated by the AIOCD”.
BB Singhal, patron of the Panchkula association, said in the GST, tax difference on closing stocks had been given to the stockist level and not up to retail level by the companies. Thus, again the concern of the retailers had totally been ignored, which was prejudicial to their interests.
Mohinder Kakkar, president of the association, said the issue of requiring the services of a qualified pharmacist is in consonance and spirit of the provisions of the Drug Acts and Rules made thereunder and cannot be done
away with so as to substitute the demand that one having experience of 3-4 years regarding sale of medicines can also fill in the requirement of such pharmacist.
Pharmaceutical companies have increased the strip pack by making the strip of 30-45 tab pack instead of 10 tab pack, which is not consumer-friendly. Such move is against the paying capacity of customers and has the direct bearing over the interests of the retailers. The move of pharmaceutical companies giving special rates for big chemists and ignoring retailers had seriously affected the interests of the retailers and small time chemists, he said.
“Though we are against the move of the government regarding the requirement of the e-portal, we support the AIOCD on this issue,” he clarified.
