UP pharmacists plan stir in state from Dec 4

A phased protest will be launched from Dec 4 peaking on Dec 20 when ‘a total work boycott will be observed and all services will be affected’, office-bearers of the Diploma Pharmacists Association said.

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UP pharmacists will launch a stir in the state for wage revision and the right to prescribe certain medicines. (HT File Photo)

LUCKNOW

Pharmacists in the state will launch a statewide stir from December 4 to protest against the delay in response from the state government over their various demands, including wage revision and the right to prescribe certain medicines.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Sunila Yadav, executive president, Diploma Pharmacists Association, said, “On December 4, we shall hold demonstrations at the offices of the chief medical officers in all the districts of the state. This will be followed by black badges till December 9 and a two-hour work boycott till December 16.”

Yadav said that between December 17 and 19 there will be a work boycott except for emergency services. “From December 20 we will observe a total work boycott and all services will be affected,” she said.

Despite the fact that pharmacists were fully involved in management of Covid-19 patients and two-dozen of them lost their lives during the pandemic, they are not getting their due in terms of wages and honour at the workplace, said Sandip Badola, president of the association.

Pharmacists are demanding wage revision, change of designation from pharmacist to pharmacy officer and creation of additional posts. “There are few pharmacists at community health centres and other medical health establishments in the state, hence, we demand for creating more posts of pharmacists,” said Yadav.