An estimated 25,000 pharmacies across Telangana are expected to participate in the nationwide trade bandh on May 30 called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists.
Of them, over 4,000 are in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and all of them will down their shutter, Telangana Chemists and Druggists Association General Secretary R.Srinivas said. The protest closure, he added, is against the Centre’s proposed e-portal on which all allopathic medicine sales have to be registered. Various stakeholders from pharmaceutical companies, doctors to the pharmacies have to be registered on the portal.
The portal is being considered as a move to curb sale of substandard as well as anti-microbial resistance drugs. The agitation by AIOCD is also against online sale of medicines, he said.
Mr. Srinivas said such mandatory registration of all sales is time consuming and pose difficulties, especially in rural areas lacking good internet connectivity.
