BHUBANESWAR: Normal supply of medicines was affected across Odisha on Wednesday owing to the nationwide strike called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) in protest against the alleged unregulated functioning of online pharmacies and deep discounting practices by large corporate medicine retailers.
As the Utkal Chemists and Druggists Association (UCDA) joined the 24-hour bandh, private-run medicine stores across the state downed their shutters on the day, causing inconvenience to patients and attendants dependent on private pharmacies in cities and districts including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Jharsuguda and Ganjam.
UCDA leaders claimed that nearly 35,000 chemists and druggists across Odisha participated in the strike, making it a huge success in the state. Association president P Satyanarayana and general secretary Prasanta Mohapatra urged the government to impose a strict ban on online sale of medicines and regulate heavy discounting by corporate pharmacy chains, alleging that such practices were severely impacting small and medium medical shops.
Speaking to TNIE, Mohapatra said memorandums were submitted to collectors of all 30 districts, seeking immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the matter. In the memorandum, the association members and district representatives stated that the one-day shutdown was a symbolic protest against continued inaction by authorities despite repeated appeals to curb the ‘illegal’ online sale of medicines.
Odisha Drug Control officials said they had alerted field officers ahead of the bandh and instructed them to monitor the situation. Officials said Jan Ausadhi Kendras and Niramaya centres attached to government hospitals remained open to ensure uninterrupted medicine availability. In Cuttack, over 2,500 medicine stores remained shut in response to the strike.