The demand of the All India Chemists & Distributors Federation (AICDF) that the government should allow retail pharmacies to operate without the full time presence of registered pharmacists attracted stiff opposition from pharmacist associations and regulatory officials in the country.

The Federation wanted the Union government and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to drop the move to amend the Pharmacy Act for making degree as the basic qualification for registration and allow the wholesale and retail drug traders to run their shops without employing qualified pharmacists to dispense the drugs. Their argument is that they are selling only pre-packed medicines, and that too on the prescription of registered doctors. They have no role in the production or packing of the products, but just dispense the products to the patients/customers. Justifying their arguments, AICDF is planning to hold nationwide protest agitations from next month.

Manjiri Gharat, vice-president and chairperson of the Community Pharmacy Division of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), said the decision of AICDF is really shocking and unfortunate.

“Role of pharmacist is established worldwide and is endorsed by WHO-FIP. Modern medicines, though come as pre-packed goods, need to be adequately briefed to the patients for using correctly and that is what exactly pharmacist is required for,” said Manjiri.

According to Dr R N Gupta, vice-president of IPA and a professor at the department of pharmacy, BIT, Ranchi, there is no shortage of qualified pharmacists in the country as claimed by AICDF. Trade organisations are taking advantage of the situation by saying that pharmacists are not available. He said a community pharmacy indicates a retail drug store where legally qualified pharmacist dispenses medicines.

“It is a profession and not a trade to buy and sell medicines. The presence of qualified pharmacist in drug dispensing is an essential requirement to provide patient counselling, rational use of drugs, drug safety and pharmacy services to patients for better health care. Medicines are not like groceries or stationery or paint or hardware items where only name of product reading is required to sell. Medicines require special care while they are handled,” Dr Gupta said.

Pointing out the generic version of medicines and the sale of drugs in future, J Jayaseelan, secretary of Tamil Nadu IPA, said sale of medicine is a critical function involved handling lives of people. “In future, generic medicine will play a bigger role where the unqualified traders cannot dispense medicines. Clotrimazole is anti fungal, where as co-trimoxazole is anti bacterial. Glebenclamide, glimipiride, gliclazide, glipizide...etc. are anti diabetic. How can a non qualified person dispense generic medicine? Today doctors are writing brand names, but when they write generic names, we will have issues,” he said.

According to Dr G Selvaraju, the recently retired director of drugs control in Tamil Nadu, the stand taken by AICDF is not proper. In a retail pharmacy, the drugs should be stored properly. The pharmacist in the shop should advise the patients on the usage of the drugs and the antagonistic agents/synergetic agents. On certain occasions, the dispenser can find out a mistake and refer it to the doctor for correction. It is happening quite often in the western countries. So the presence of pharmacist in retail shop/dispensary is mandatory.

M Dinesan, general secretary of Private Pharmacist Association in Kerala said AICDF is holding the Dharna in New Delhi without properly understanding the Pharmacy Act and Drugs and Cosmetics Act.