Hyderabad, May 20 (IANS) Over 25,000 medical shops remained closed across Telangana on Wednesday in response to the one-day nationwide bandh call given by the All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).

In Hyderabad alone, more than 12,000 medical shops were closed to press the demands to stop online sale of medicines, to stop deep discounts by corporates and to avoid spurious medicine.

Medical shops attached to hospitals have been exempted from the strike.

Telangana Drugs Control Administration has appealed to people not to panic due to the strike by chemists and promised the availability of essential and life-saving medicines across the state.

State Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha directed officials to take all necessary measures to ensure that people in need of life-saving medicines do not face any hardships.

The Drug Control Administration (DCA) has issued a public advisory in the interest of patient safety and uninterrupted access to essential medicines.

DCA Director General Avinash Mohanty said in a statement that a meeting was held with the AIOCD Telangana chapter, wherein it was decided to keep pharmacy stores attached to hospitals available to supply medicines to avoid inconvenience to the public.

The district chapters of the AIOCD will be in close touch with the Drug Inspectors to make any medicines available from local stores in case of emergency. In addition, corporate medical stores have been advised to keep their stores open.

He said that in case of any difficulty regarding the availability of essential or emergency medicines on May 20, people may immediately contact the concerned local Drugs Inspector or the Assistant Director, Drugs Control Administration, for necessary assistance and intervention.

The Drugs Control Administration is closely monitoring the situation across the state to ensure the availability of essential and life-saving medicines. All field officers of the Department have been instructed to remain vigilant and respond promptly to any issues relating to medicine availability or public grievances, he said.

The contact numbers and office addresses of Drugs Control Administration officials are available on the official website of the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, under the “Key Contacts” section: https://dca.telangana.gov.in/.

The public may also contact the DCA Telangana Toll-Free Number: 1800 599 6969 for assistance or information regarding the availability of medicines.

The DCA has appealed to all stakeholders to cooperate in ensuring uninterrupted access to medicines for the public during the bandh period.

AIOCD and the Hyderabad Chemists and Druggists Association (HCDA) have called for a bandh in protest against recent amendments to drug regulations and the functioning of online pharmacies.

They say that unrestricted operations of online pharmacies and digital medicine platforms could lead to misuse of medicines, rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and serious risks to public health.

–IANS

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