Concern over mushrooming pharmacies in Dhemaji

From a Correspondent

Dhemaji, September 21: Spurt in the number of pharmacies in Dhemaji town has posed a serious concern for the conscious citizens of Dhemaji. Within a radius of hardly one kilometre, there are more than 30 pharmacies and this number is likely to increase. People are left wondering as to how these pharmacies are allowed to come up without any restriction.

Licensing authorities issue drug license to people under different mes of stores. A salesman working in a pharmacy for a few months can open a new pharmacy easily. Without having a degree in pharmacy from a recognized institution, how can anyone start a pharmacy? This is a question that many people in Dhemaji are asking, and their concern is not unfounded as there are risks involved in purchasing medicines, especially restricted drugs, from such pharmacies.

Recently, government-supplied medicines were found in one of the pharmacies at Joyrampur and among them some expired medicines were also detected by the Dhemaji Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad, Bordoloni branch.  The owner and other persons related to that pharmacy were arrested by police and sent to jail.

Taking the advantage of weak drug control regulatory authorities, many quacks have started their drug business in the Dhemaji-Aruchal Pradesh border areas and other interior places. In this way, they are allegedly playing with the lives of poor innocent people. The flood-affected poor people of the district have no other option but to surrender to these quacks or self-styled doctors.

Many patients reportedly died due to wrong treatment but the drug controlling authority paid no attention to these incidents. It has also been alleged that there is a tacit understanding between the pharmacies and some physicians for referring patients to buy drugs from the pharmacies with which they have links. The ubated mushrooming of pharmacies in Dhemaji has become a serious concern and people have urged the Health Department to look into this issue.