KOLKATA: Bengal Chemists and Druggists Association (BCDA) supported the demand placed by All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) that has already written to the Centre to vaccinate the chemists on priority basis.
The chemists across the state said they were exposed to Covid as they had to deal with the people directly. Many chemists have died after being infected with Covid. The chemists from Bengal also threatened to organise protest demonstrations if their demands were not met.
The national organisation has threatened to organise nationwide lockdown, if they were not vaccinated on priority basis like other essential services.
"Chemists and medicine distributors have been on 24-hour duty since March 2020 as essential workers. We have dispensed and distributed drugs since the pandemic struck. Why the chemists should not be vaccinated on priority basis. Chemists must be considered as frontline workers," a member of BCDA said.
AIOCD has written to the Directorate Drugs Control in this regard. BCDA said they would continue agitation until the chemists were vaccinated on priority basis.