Alarmed by the influx of drug stores backed by big corporates and chains of shops that sell medicines at discounted rates, traditional retail outlets in the State are planning to form local consortiums and adopt latest technology to retain their businesses.
The All-Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA), the biggest organisation representing retail drug shops, believes that corporate-backed stores will hit the prospects of its members. This could also render thousands of people in the wholesale and retail sectors jobless.
A.N. Mohan, president, AKCDA, said in a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the Health department and the State Drugs Controller’s office were found to be helping monopolistic foreign and domestic companies to freely operate in the State. The association alleged that such companies were being given licenses without following norms.
The AKCDA wants the authorities to ban boards that display discount rates outside drug stores, which, the leaders said, was against rules. They were also planning to adapt latest technology to stay relevant. At a recent meeting of the AKCDA, it was decided to develop a new software for retail and wholesale shops. A Goa-based company would be given contract for the purpose. The AKCDA was also planning to develop local consortiums to face the competition from corporate-backed firms, as was being done in Maharashtra.
AKCDA functionaries said there were 27,500 licensed institutions, including retail drug stores, distributing firms, depots of drug manufacturing units, medical shops in hospitals, Neethi Medical Stores, Karunya Medical Shops, Jan Aushadhi outlets, and other local shops, which operated according to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Of the 15,000 retail drug stores in the State, 3,000 were run by certified pharmacists.
The R.A. Mashelkar panel, which studied various aspects of the growing threat from spurious drugs, had pointed out that Kerala was among the two States where sub-standard and fake drugs were not being sold. Despite all this, the traditional retail drug stores were staring at a crisis. Mr. Mohan said that the AKCDA members had sought an appointment with Mr. Vijayan to air their concerns.
