All chemist shops in Chandigarh will remain closed on Wednesday in response to a nationwide shutdown call by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD). Select stores catering to emergency patients will remain open.
The strike is being observed to protest against the alleged unregulated functioning of online pharmacies and predatory pricing practices, which chemists claim are threatening the survival of small medicine retailers across the country.
Chandigarh Chemists Association (CCA) president Anup Gupta said the strike was aimed at protecting both patients’ and chemists’ interests.
The AIOCD, representing over 12.40 lakh chemists and drug distributors nationwide, has demanded withdrawal of the COVID-era G.S.R. 220(E) notification, which allowed doorstep retail sale and delivery of medicines to consumers’ homes, as an emergency measure. It is also seeking a policy to curb unfair trade practices.
The CCA has submitted memorandums to Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, BJP Chandigarh president Jatinder Malhotra, Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh, and director health services Dr Suman Singh.