PANJIM: The Central government may be trying to work out a system for selling medication online, but chemists and druggists in the State have vehemently opposed the concept saying it would hit their businesses and create an avenue for illicit trade.
Referring to medicines as being more than just grocery items, Prasad Tamba, President of the Chemist and Druggist Association, Goa who also runs a pharmacy in Panjim said the concept was a bad idea since India didn’t have the infrastructure to handle it and also since retailers would suffer the most.
“As a trade, we completely oppose this because the sale will be at the cost of the retailer. Trade will suffer immensely while other illicit activities may flourish. Dispensing of the medication itself will be questionable as the issue of authenticating of medication and issuing of memos etc will be a problem,” said Tamba.
Under the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act sale of over the counter medications online is not legal. Unlike the West that has a centralised system of issuing and dispensing medication to patients, India as a country is far from reaching that level of digital freedom. And this is where the concept of an e-pharmacy fails.
Pharmacists in Goa resonate this voice against online sale of medication. Raj Vadiya, a pharmaceutical professional who runs the chain of Hindu Pharmacies in the State said that illicit and illegal issuing of medication is already a problem, having a system like that of an e-pharmacy will only make it worse.
“Everyone is already aware of the misuse of prescription drugs. With the online sale of medicines, it will make matters worse and in general is a bad idea. What online sites like Flipkart and Amazon have done to retail markets is what will happen to the pharmacists and sale of medicines,” he said.
This is the general perception the country over as is evident from the several delegations that have raised objection to the idea. The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has met with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) who has constituted a committee to decide on whether to promote online sale or medicines or not.
“We as part of the Goa Association have also raised objections to the idea of an e-pharmacy along with the rest of the country to the DCGI, secretary to the health ministry and other related departments,” said Tamba.
While pharmacists think the idea of an online service to deliver medication to patients is a bad idea, some doctors think otherwise.
Dr Shekhar Salkar, doctor at Manipal Hospital thinks it would be a good initiative though it’s reach may be limited. “As a whole, it’s a good idea but according to me it will most likely be used by educated people. The poor and needy may not be able to avail of this facility,” he said.
There are fears raise of the system being hacked which is why it needs to be foolproof like in the banking sector for example, a one-time password to decrease misuse. Doctors said that to start with it should be allowed for regular medicines with less side effects and if it works well then only can it be used for scheduled drugs like cardiac and cancer medicines.
