Bhubaneswar: People faced difficulty buying medicines on Wednesday, with thousands of medical stores and pharmacies across the state staying closed as part of the nationwide protest against online sale of medicines and alleged misuse of drugs ordered through digital platforms. “My mother was discharged from a hospital in Cuttack on Wednesday. The doctor prescribed some medicines after her discharge. I got some of them from the hospital’s pharmacy counter, but for the two remaining medicines, I visited Mangalabag and other areas of Cuttack but found all stores were shut,” said Jitendra Sahu, attendant of a patient from Konark in Puri district. Sanjukta Mandal, a resident of Khurda, came to Bhubaneswar to buy a medicine for her father but in vain. “I went to Jan Aushadhi Kendra but I couldn’t get the drug. When I called some medicine store staff, they said the shops are closed due to a nationwide strike,” she added.The strike in Odisha was called by the Utkal Chemists and Druggists Association. Around 30,000 medical stores in the state were closed for 24 hours from Tuesday midnight to Wednesday midnight, sources said.UCDA president P Satyanarayana said illegal e-pharmacies and deep discounting by large online platforms are hurting chemists, druggists, shop workers and others dependent on the medicine trade. He alleged online pharmacies exploit relaxed rules to sell medicines without proper physical verification and allow repeated use of prescriptions. He warned AI-generated fake prescriptions and easy access to antibiotics and addictive drugs could worsen public health risks, including antimicrobial resistance. He said aggressive discounting by big firms is creating unfair competition, especially for rural and semi-urban chemists.UCDA demanded withdrawal of temporary Covid-era and e-pharmacy notifications and sought fair competition safeguards. “Demonstrations by chemists and druggists were organised in different districts. Later, memorandums were given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through concerned local authorities,” said Satyanarayana. The govt has taken several steps to tackle the situation arising out of the strike. “Niramaya centres, state govt’s free medicine stores at govt hospitals, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, govt-supported generic medicine stores and pharmacies run by corporate hospitals, companies and private medical colleges were opened on Wednesday. We have issued a helpline number for people who can call us if they face problems while procuring any medicine. Our officials were deployed on the ground to monitor the situation,” said state drug controller Mamina Patnaik. The nationwide strike was coordinated by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, the national body representing chemists and drug distributors.
