The Kerala Drugs Control Administration has directed the wholesale pharma distributors not to supply medicines after July 31 to private hospitals who have not obtained drug licences for their pharmacies.

Following the High Court verdict of March 26, 2010, the drug control department has given oral directives to all the private hospitals to secure drug licences for their pharmacies before July 31. According to sources from the DCA, not all the hospitals have responded to the orders of the government. However, the department has issued 135 fresh licenses to private hospitals hailing from all the 14 districts of the state, till last week, it is learnt.

It has made mandatory for hospitals with IP wards and having separate drug counters or open shops to have the licence. Drugs in these hospitals should be dispensed through a pharmacist. Further, these hospitals should follow the norms specified in the D&C Act for maintaining a pharmacy. The drugs controller said government hospitals and dispensaries are exempted under Schedule K from obtaining separate licence.

Applications seeking licenses are still pending with the offices of ADCs in different zones and they will be cleared very soon, said M Geetha, state drugs controller. She said it was the state health minister who directed her to extend the date of receiving applications up to July 31 in order to help the hospital authorities to submit their applications. Even then, many hospitals are unwilling to approach the department to get the licence. Action will be initiated against such hospitals if they are found running pharmacies in their hospitals from next month. Besides, the distributors of pharma products have been asked to supply medicines only to those pharmacies who show their licences numbers, said she.

According to the drugs controller, Ernakulam is the district where largest number of licences was issued. After March 26, so far 45 hospital pharmacies in the district have obtained the government order. In Kozhikodu, the ADC office has issued 20 licenses till last week, where no application is pending. However the office will receive applications till the cut off date is over, said K E Mohan, ADC of Kozhikodu.

For maintaining a retail pharmacy, a hospital management must remit Rs 3000 to the government treasury and the space must be of 10 square meters. Additional facilities include a refrigerator and an inverter, which are also made mandatory for getting the licence.

About 2000 private hospitals in Kerala should obtain fresh licences as per the court order or they have to close down their pharmacies after the cut-off date, it is learnt.