GUWAHATI:
Joint Action Forum of Pharmaceutical Organisations (JAFPO) has demanded immediate action against online pharmacies for selling medicines without prescriptions across the country.
The JAFPO, an umbrella organization of four chemist organisations- Chemists & Druggists Association of Assam, Assam Pharmaceutical Association, Association of Advanced Pharmacists Practitioners and Centre of Medical and Sales Reprehensive Union (CRU-NER) also decided to launch a massive awareness drive on health risk from such online pharmacies in the state.
The JAFPC has organized a convention on the “online sale of medicines and its impact on people’s health and pharmaceutical distribution” at the Indian Institute of Engineers here on Sunday
Expressing concern on over illegal and indiscriminate discounts being offered by online pharmacies to customers, former chairman of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Ranjit Borthakur said: “Customers are always happy getting more and more discounts. But customer awareness is necessary about the risk of such purchase of medicines online.”
Borthakur appealed to chemists and pharmacists to offer competitive services like home delivery to ailing patients/ senior citizens etc.
In his address, neurosurgeon and social activist Dr Navanil Baruah emphasised the role of a neighbourhood pharmacy in providing health services to the cluster of residents in a particular area.
“The online players can’t provide such services as known pharmacies are always better than unknown suppliers. The further online practice of medicine is a danger to public health,” Dr Baruah said.
“There is no guarantee of supplying standard medicines and privacy of patient data is not protected under online sale of
medicines,” he also said.
Dr Baruah also pointed out about huge unemployment situation, which may arise, if the retail pharmacies and wholesale pharma distributors are thrown out of employment by big online corporate players.
Speaking on the occasion, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dispur Branch president Dr Hemango Baishya explained about the “white paper” submitted to the Central government by Indian Medical Association
narrating the impending effects of the online supply of medicines including the supply of habit-forming drugs/ narcotic drugs and fake drugs in the garb of the easygoing online practice of supply of medicines.
In his address, former senior inspector of drugs Anil Kr Sarma explained that there is no provision for online sales by vendors under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act,1940 and Rules,1945 and Pharmacy Act,1948. No law exists for the online supply of medicines in our country, he added.
Former senior inspector of drugs Phulen Choudhury, Secretary of Assam Pharmaceutical Association, Ranjan Deka, president of Association of Advanced Pharmacists Practitioners Biren Kumar Barman and Amitabh Ghosh, on behalf of Centre of Medical and Sales Reprehensive Union (CRU-NER) were also present in the convention.
Earlier, the objects of the convention were explained by Dr NL Agarwala, president, the Chemists & Druggists Association of Assam.