Chandigarh, May 22 (K.L. Jit Walia):Following the Punjab bandh call given by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists and the Punjab Chemist Association (PCA), the Punjab Health Department held an important meeting with chemists of the state on Friday.
During the meeting, a delegation of chemists led by PCA Punjab President Surinder Duggal met Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh and presented their concerns and demands.
Senior officials including Principal Secretary of Drug Administration Kumar Rahul, Commissioner Kamalpreet Kaur Brar, Joint Commissioner Sanjeev Garg and Assistant Commissioner Gurinder Singh were also present during the meeting.
According to a press statement issued by Surinder Duggal, several issues concerning chemists were discussed in detail with the Health Minister. He said that various rules and procedures are creating obstacles for chemists in operating freely, leading to an atmosphere of fear and confusion among them.
During the meeting, the PCA demanded the withdrawal of regulations related to e-pharmacy platforms and called for restrictions on the system. The association expressed concern that fake prescriptions generated with the help of online platforms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are increasing the sale of narcotic and restricted medicines, which could pose a serious threat to society.
The chemists also stated that large corporate groups are disturbing the balance of the traditional medicine business through deep discounting practices. They additionally raised issues regarding difficulties in maintaining Schedule H1 registers and obstacles being created by the Punjab Pharmacy Council in the renewal of pharmacy licenses.
The delegation urged the Health Minister to take appropriate steps to protect the interests of small and medium-scale chemists associated with the pharmaceutical trade and to resolve their issues at the earliest.
During the meeting, Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh carefully listened to the demands and concerns of the chemists and assured them that the government would seriously consider the related issues.
KL JIT WALIA
