Pharmacists stage protest against changes in Drugs & Cosmetics Act

Bathinda, November 29

Members of the Punjab State Pharmacy Officers Association staged a protest in the city against the Union Government for not considering their objections raised against proposed amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945. The protesters gathered outside the Civil Surgeon’s office and raised slogans against the government and demanded rollback of proposed amendments in the Act recently.

Notably, pharmacists have been staging demonstrations all across the state, including a national-level agitation at New Delhi over the matter on a call given by the Pharmacy Council of India.

The protesting pharmacists said they had submitted their objections regarding the proposed amendments in the Act to the Central Government but latter had not heeded the same till now. They added that the government had not given any sort of assurance as of now.

Kripa Shankar, general secretary, Retail Chemist Association, and Raj Rani, president, Rural Pharmacist Association, Bathinda, addressed the gathering of pharmacists at the protest venue.

Sukhmander Singh Sidhu, secretary of the association, said, “The Union Government has decided to make amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, and as per the amended Act, any person apart from pharmacists will reserve the right to compound medicines of poor quality. The move will render pharmacists toothless as they won’t be able to exercise the rules pertaining to check the use of poor quality medicines. The government has issued a notification seeking responses or any objections before giving its nod to the amended Act. We have decided to oppose these amendments.” — TNS