CHENNAI: Stressing that the health department has been strengthening the drug distribution system from the ground level, Health Secretary Darez Ahamed on Wednesday urged pharmacists to correctly update drug stock in government hospitals. “If a drug available in the warehouse does not reach patients, it is a failure of the system,” he said.
Speaking at the World Pharmacists Day event organised by the Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council at the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, Ahamed said pharmacists should report every substandard and spurious drug, as well as adverse drug reactions, to officials.
Health Minister K G Arunraj said pharmacists play a crucial role in the fight against antibiotic resistance and the misuse of habit-forming drugs, as well as in educating consumers on drug overuse.
Further, pharmacists should counsel customers if they notice them skipping medication for blood pressure and other medical conditions. They should also not sell antibiotics without a prescription, as India is one of the countries that uses the most antibiotics in the world, the minister added.