VASCO: The ease at which Pratima Naik, prime accused in the Vasco double murder, managed to procure a sleeping drug over the counter has now put pharmacies in the port town under the spotlight.
(After the flak, CM all praise for cops — Pg 3)
The laxity of pharmacies in selling scheduled drugs over the counter and without a doctor’s prescription is now under scanner, as Vasco police took Pratima to various pharmacies at Baina on Saturday to identify the pharmacy that had illegally sold her the sleeping drug.
Pratima had allegedly used the sleeping drug on her sister-in-law Neha and her mother-in-law Usha to sedate them, before she allegedly murdered both family members.
What has surprised police was the manner in which a pharmacy had sold her the sleeping drug without a doctor’s prescription.
“Sleeping tablets and other scheduled drugs cannot be sold over the counter without the valid prescription of a registered doctor. The prescription should bear the doctor’s name and date, number of tablets with number of days and his signature with a rubber stamp,” explained a pharmacist, Theresa Telles.
“Once we sell the drug, we issue a receipt and affix our stamp across the prescription, so that the other pharmacies are aware that the drug has already been bought by the buyer from the particular pharmacy.”
“Besides, while billing the customer for the schedule drug, the guidelines issued by authorities mandate that we enter the name of the doctor, number of tablets and for number of days, as well as the date of prescription.”
Telles added that pharmacies are banned from selling drugs once the date on the prescription has expired, to avoid potential misuse of the drug.
“Even syringes are only sold to prescription holders and not to any young people, as they can misuse them,” said Telles.
Supporting Telles’ views, Vasco-based medical practitioner Dr Rosario Menezes added that medicines which are not harmful in nature could be sold over the counter as they do not require any prescription.
“It is sad that some pharmacies, not only in Goa but also in other parts of the country, fail to implement clear directives that scheduled drugs should be sold only against a valid prescription,” said Dr Menezes.
“The FDA must take the cognisance of the situation and should penalise pharmacies selling dangerous drugs over the counter and without a doctor’s permission,” he added.
When asked if the FDA would take action against the pharmacy for illegally selling the sleeping drug to Pratima, FDA Director Salim Veljee said the FDA could only act on a complaint.
“We can act only if there is a complaint against the pharmacy. So far, the FDA has not received any complaint against the pharmacy selling the drug to Pratima,” said Veljee.
