Most city chemist shops ignore strike call, stand by patients
11 May 2013 6:09 AM IST
Most chemists located near major Delhi hospitals chose to opt out of the nation-wide, one-day strike against the new drug policy and its impact on traders on Friday. 'We didn’t want patients to suffer because of our strike,’ Sandeep Nangia, president, Retailers and Distributors Chemist Association (RDCA), which is affiliated to the apex All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), said, adding, 'That's why we asked chemists with shops near all major hospitals to remain open on Friday, despite the strike.’
'The strike is on, but 80 per cent of the shops here are open as we cannot let patients suffer,' said Rohit Kumar of All India Medicos, near Safdarjung Hospital. Some neighbourhood pharmacists, however, kept their shops closed.
As per the RDCA, around 7.5 lakh chemists across India are on strike, against the new drug policy of the central government.
The RDCA has made four demands, including no reduction in trade margins, not making it mandatory for a chemist to have a qualified pharmacist at the shop while selling medicines, chemists not to be held responsible for errors of manufacturers, and no foreign direct investment in pharma trade.
'The strike is on, but 80 per cent of the shops here are open as we cannot let patients suffer,' said Rohit Kumar of All India Medicos, near Safdarjung Hospital. Some neighbourhood pharmacists, however, kept their shops closed.
As per the RDCA, around 7.5 lakh chemists across India are on strike, against the new drug policy of the central government.
The RDCA has made four demands, including no reduction in trade margins, not making it mandatory for a chemist to have a qualified pharmacist at the shop while selling medicines, chemists not to be held responsible for errors of manufacturers, and no foreign direct investment in pharma trade.
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