Who Will Crack Down on Illegal Pharmacies Endangering Public Health?

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Assam government is taking a tough stand against fake doctors, arresting and registering cases against them. However, in stark contrast, the authorities concerned continue to take a soft approach with the mushrooming unauthorized pharmacies.

The number of unregistered pharmacies has been on the rise in Assam. Both fake doctors and unauthorised pharmacies pose serious threats to public health. In the past one year, the authorities concerned in the state arrested as many as 62 fake doctors and registered 59 cases against them.

According to Health Department rules, every pharmacy should have a registered pharmacist during its business hours. According to sources, Assam has around 20,000 registered pharmacists. On the contrary, the number of pharmacies, both registered and unregistered, in the state is around 40,000.

Significantly, there is mushrooming growth of unregistered pharmacies in semi-urban and rural areas in the state. Most of such pharmacies have no permanent registered pharmacists. They operate their business by using the registration numbers of some registered pharmacists whose names and registration numbers appear in multiple pharmacies. This is in gross violation of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act 1940 and the Pharmacy Act, 1948. A section of such pharmacies (i) sells medicines without having qualified pharmacists, (ii) sells inferior and expired medicines, and (iii) sometimes allows quacks to practise in their chambers.

A source in the Health Department said, "Selling medicines is a thriving business, and there has been a rat race for opening pharmacies. Though it is the responsibility of the Health Department to regulate all pharmacies in the state, due to paucity of manpower and other limitations, the department cannot keep a watchful eye on all pharmacies. We cannot deny the existence of a nexus between a section of health officials and people running pharmacy businesses violating rules."

The department conducts raids on unauthorized pharmacies occasionally when there are public outcries and then leaves everything back to square one.

Speaking to The Sentinel, a retired health officer said, "Unauthorised pharmacies normally grow in areas where people are not conscious about medicines. People in such areas normally buy medicines at the advice of people manning pharmacies and avoid visiting doctors. A section of such pharmacies also sell inferior and duplicate medicines that look and sound like branded ones. This is a serious threat to public health. To get rid of the rot, the Health Department should regularly inspect the certificates and other documents of pharmacies. The public should also remain alert and lodge complaints as and when they find anything suspicious with pharmacies and pharmacists."

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