4,000 medical shops to remain closed today

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists has called for a shutdown by medical shop owners on May 20, demanding a ban on online sale of medicines. As part of the protest, around 4,000 medical stores across the district will remain closed.

However, a task force will remain operational at Aushadhi Bhavan in the city to provide essential medicines to patients. Aurangabad Chemists and Druggists Association president Nitin Deshmukh said that efforts have been made to ensure that patients do not face inconvenience.

The organisation stated that the Central Government had earlier issued an internal notification permitting online sale of medicines through the internet, but since it has not been converted into a formal law, illegal online sale of medicines continues across the country.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government had granted special permission for home delivery of medicines. However, even five years after the pandemic ended, the notification has not been withdrawn.

The association alleged that companies are creating unfair competition through online platforms, putting small medical shop owners under financial pressure and posing a threat to medicine distribution systems in rural areas.