Punjab Pharmacists Union up in arms against State Government
Pharmacists banned to give prescription in the absence of doctor
Punjab Pharmacists Union up in arms against State Government
IPA demands to widen the opportunity for Pharmacists
Ferozepur, November 5, 2015: Around 2000 members of Punjab Pharmacists Union in the state are up in arms against the state government’s decision directing the pharmacists not to give prescription in the absence of the doctor.
Sometime back, hundreds of pharmacists hold protest against the state government and raised anti-government slogans at the local Civil Hospital.
Harpreet Singh Thind, District President of Pharmacists Union said that the pharmacists are prescribing medicines for more than thirty one years but no one had raised any objection. “Now this despotic decision will lead to nothing but chaos”, he further added.
Pharmacists are feeling humiliated due to this decision made by state government (through notification No. E(1) Punjab-2015/ 2057-96 Dated 3rd September 2015), said Ravinder Luthra, District General Secretary
Ravinder Luthra said that the state is already short of qualified doctors and health services are suffering badly.
He further said, a protest was held on October 15 in front of the office of the Director, Health and Family Welfare besides having a meeting with the Health Minister, Punjab, Director and Secretary of Health Department but nothing fruitful came out.
The members of the Pharmacists Union also alleged that these days’ prescriptions are being made by unqualified persons which are sheer violation of Pharmacy Act 1948.
Speaking to this correspondent, another member Mahesh Kumar said, due to this erroneous decision made by State government, the health services at PHCs, ESI dispensaries, slum area dispensaries, sub-jails, where doctors are not appointed, only the common people, have been badly affected.
The government has taken this decision on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which has to be moved by the Health Department to seek the permission so that pharmacists could be permitted to prescribe medicines for basic ailments.
The Indian Pharmacist Association (IPA) has also demanded to widen the opportunity for pharmacists by permitting them to prescribe medicine in primary healthcare as the role played by pharmacists remains stagnant in India.
