BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Registered Pharmacists’ Organisation has alleged that government-run Jan Aushadhi Kendras are selling drugs in the absence of registered pharmacists. The organisation has sent documents highlighting various issues, suggestions and amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya and other Union ministers.
Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been opened to sell generic medicines at affordable prices under the
Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. “Though the presence of a registered pharmacist is essential to sell drugs, in most of the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, drugs are sold in the absence of a registered pharmacist. The reason for this major lapse is that licences are being granted to non-pharmacists, who appoint any layman,” said Ashokswamy Heroor, president of the organisation.
The second major concern, according to them, is that these shops are allowed to substitute Schedule H drugs, whereas other medical shops are strictly banned from doing so. Schedule H drugs are those which can be purchased only with a prescription from a doctor. The letter also drew attention to tin sheds being given licence to operate as medical shops. Drugs have to be maintained at certain temperatures to ensure quality during manufacturing and storage, it said.
“There are some drugs that need to be kept at 8 degrees Celsius and others at 10-25 degrees Celsius. When temperature rises above this limit, the quality of the medicine deteriorates. In tin sheds, drugs are stored in oven-like temperatures,” Heroor added.
One of the letters spoke about overuse of antibiotics, indiscriminate use of injections, polypharmacy, excessive use of drug anabolic steroid for growth, tonics, multivitamins for malnutrition, etc. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics can cause drug resistance, adverse reaction, super infection apart from economic burden on the patient, he said.
Stating that many manufactures have been resorting to unfair practices to promote drugs, the organisation sought a ban on the offering of expensive gifts, huge quantity of physician samples and arranging of foreign tours to prescribers and doctors. The organisation also sought a price control on non-scheduled generic drugs “to prevent the ongoing daylight robbery of poor patients”. These drugs are those given without prescription.