Over 8 lakh chemists on day-long strike against e-portal rules

More than eight lakh chemists and pharmacies across the country observed a day-long strike to protest against "stringent" regulations on the sale of medicines.
According to the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), several representations opposing the regulations on the sale of medicines in the country submitted to the government went unheeded, following which the one-day strike was called.
The strike was in protest against the government's decision to make e-portal registration for chemists mandatory which meant they would have to upload details of medicine sales on the portal.
"We have been asked to upload all information related to sale of medicines on a portal, which is not possible with the existing infrastructure. Also, as per the conditions of the e-portal, the sale of medicines has to be only through a prescription by a qualified doctor which is also impractical," said Rajeev Bhatia, executive member of the AIOCD.

The chemists were also opposing online pharmacy, which they say posed a threat to their business.
"The online pharmacy will also encourage irrational usage of medicines and sale of fake drugs," Bhatia said,
The chemist body held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here to highlight their concerns. According to Bhatia, around 12,000 chemist shops in Delhi participated in the strike.