Abortion pills have become a matter of concern as a lot of pharmacists in the city sell these pills without legal prescriptions.
According to Secretary, The Karnataka Chemists and Druggists Association, Arun Mehta, no pharmacist is allowed to sell abortion pills without a prescription. “Especially Schedule H, C and C 1 has to be sold with the prescription given by medical practitioners.
With abortion pills falling under Schedule H category, these pills cannot be sold over the counter as there is a chance that a lot of people can misuse them.
Given the provision, the pharmacist should dispense the drug only after ensuring that the drug does not cause any danger to the patient.
So the pharmacists have been given strict orders not to sell abortion pills without prescription," he adds.
In the past, there was a protest by the Practitioners, Chemists and Druggists Association for selling certain pills.
"At this point, we have to blame the government. Just like how they have a red mark on cigarette packets, similarly they should have a instruction behind the carton used for packing the pills," says Arun, who feels that the main culprits are some of the advertisements aired on television which are giving a wrong signal to a lot of patients.
"Today, every patient who asks for an abortion or contraceptive pill is highly qualified. In fact, they have more knowledge about such pills as they have access to the internet and others sources," he said.
According to Arun, there are approximately 3,000 registered pharmacies in the city that can sell pills under medical supervision.
“Periodic checks will be conducted and if a pharmacist is found selling such kind of drugs illegally, the first step is that their licence will be suspended for ten days, the second time for a month and if they still continue, their licence will be taken away,” he explains.
"It is the government who should take action because as a pharmacist, he is just doing service.
The pharmacists themselves have made it compulsory to record details of the patient and the doctor prescribing the pills," he concludes.