Medical store owners observe shutdown against amendment to Drugs Act

LAHORE
The manufacturers, distributors and sellers observed a complete shutdown in Punjab against newly-promulgated Punjab Drug (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 without having the authority to make amendments to a federal Drug Act 1976.
“The Punjab government has made amendments to the Act with an aim to curb the menace of fake drugs through stricter punishments, but it is likely to give way to victimisation and restlessness among the pharmaceutical manufacturers and sellers, especially when it doesn’t have the mandate to bring amendment to a federal law,” said Nisar Chaudhry, Chairman Punjab Chemists Council on Monday.
On the call of Punjab Chemists Council, Chemists and Druggists Association, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, the medical store chains, pharmacies and medical stores in Lahore remained closed on Monday against ‘controversial amendments’ to the Drug Act 1976, which according to drug dealers, gave unbridled powers to the drug inspectors and stricter punishments against the ‘offenders’.
The Lohari Medicine Market, medical stores in front of all mega teaching hospitals remained closed, which caused massive problems for the patients and their attendants, who were running from pillar-to-post to get the required medicines. According to them, the supply of medicines to government hospitals was also suspended.
The protesting chemists and druggists said that in the garb of abolishing the sale of fake drugs, the Punjab government had implemented legislation through an ordinance, which gave drug inspectors unbridled powers to act against manufacturers distributors and sellers of spurious medicines. “The druggists, chemists and pharmaceutical industry fear victimisation at the hands of drug inspectors on the basis of this ordinance,” they regretted, asserting that this is totally unjust legislation and is not acceptable.
They demanded the Punjab government to withdraw controversial amendments to the newly-promulgated Punjab Drugs (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, warning that they would go on an indefinite strike after Eidul Azha if their genuine demands were not fulfilled.
It is worth mentioning that the Punjab government, under Punjab Drugs (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, enhanced punishments for producing or selling fake drugs.
The ordinance removes the word “substandard” and deals with only “spurious” drugs and provides for direct FIR against the offenders. The punishment ranges from six months to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine ranging from Rs500,000 to Rs5 million depending on the category of offence. It also makes it mandatory to engage police for investigation of cases of fake medicines and allows the government to file an appeal against the drug courts’ verdicts.