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Chandigarh: 13 chemist shops to lose licence for three days over violations
Penalty comes after inspections found the chemist shops operating without qualified pharmacists, not issuing bills and not maintaining proper stock records
Launching a crackdown on chemists violating norms, the UT drug controller will be suspending the drugs licence of 13 chemist shops for three days.
Among the violators are the AMRIT pharmacy at PGIMER, two shops at GMSH, Sector 16, and one at GMCH, Sector 32, who will be prohibited from selling medicines during the three-day suspension period.
While health authorities did not specify the schedule for suspension of licences, they said the shops will be closed on a rotational basis to minimise inconvenience to the public.
The action comes after drug inspection teams recently found the chemists not abiding to various norms, including dispensing medicines without the presence of a qualified pharmacist, not generating and issuing bills, and not maintaining proper stock records.
The inspections began after the UT health secretary, Yashpal Garg, visited GMSH-16 on April 16, disguised as a patient, and found various violations and irregularities at the chemist shops. During the inspection, the health secretary had found that the chemist shops were not issuing bills unless asked and also promoting branded medicines. Subsequently, the officer had sought an explanation from the drug inspector on how such practices were occurring without detection.
Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, UT, and drug controller, said, “Upon inspecting chemist shops at night, several were found dispensing medicines without the presence of a qualified pharmacist, a glaring violation.”
She added that the health department was planning to conduct inspections at all chemist shops and those found violating norms, will face three-day suspension of licence and closure.
Meanwhile, health secretary Yashpal Garg said the suspension of chemists’ licences was not a desirable solution. He, instead, emphasised on the importance of chemists adhering to regulations and making medication available to patients at reasonable prices.
Garg also stressed the need for pharmacists to maintain accurate records, provide bills to all customers and ensure that a qualified pharmacist was always available on the premises to supervise the sale of medicines.
Earlier, the health department had also issued an advisory for government health facilities and doctors to comply with the National Medical Commission’s Generic Medicine and Prescription Guidelines. All physicians were advised to maintain a date-wise diary, specifying reasons for prescribing branded generic drugs. All chemist shops within the premises of government health facilities were also told to ensure availability of generic medicines.
