The regional committee of the Retail Chemists Forum (RCF) functioning in the Malabar area of Kerala has urged the union government to amend Drugs and Cosmetics Act (D&C Act) by quashing the powers given to medical doctors for stocking and selling of medicines directly to their patients.

The demand of the Forum has come in the wake of the union government’s efforts to bring in reforms in the health sector by amending various outdated laws in the health and allied sectors. RCF Malabar regional committee convener and proprietor of Radha Medicals at Kannur, G Sandeep Pai said his organisation’s reforms committee has drafted the proposal in this regard to be forwarded to the union government.

Sandeep Pai, one of the qualified pharmacists from olden days in the Malabar area, is also planning to meet the DCGI in order to hand over a memorandum directly to him requesting the same demand.

As per Schedule K (5) of D&C Act, doctors are allowed to stock and sell medicines to their own patients and they are following this provision for several years. At the time of framing the Act in 1945, this provision was included in the Act because there were not many medical stores in the country. Now the number of retail pharmacies has increased to more than six lakh in the country and it is more than enough, said Sandeep Pai.

“Even though the doctors are permitted to stock and sell medicines to their patients on certain conditions, they are often found flouting the provisions by several ways. Most of the doctors are not keeping registers to report the batch number, expiry date, prices, stock variations etc of the drugs sold. Since they are permitted to dispensing of drugs to their patients, no drug inspector will attempt to inspect the doctors’ records except the pharmacies attached to the hospitals, if any. The ultimate aim of the doctors in stocking medicines is profit motive. This has to be stopped, and a national level discussion is required among the qualified pharmacists and pharmacy traders”, said the chemists forum convener.

Terming the drugs dispensing by doctors is unfair, the Forum members from Malabar said the government has to rethink over the issue and a proper amendment is required in D&C Act. In every way, this practice by the doctors creates troubles for the retail chemists and affects their pharmacy trade. Pharmacies are run by qualified pharmacists as a profession. We do not interfere in the careers of the doctors. Likewise, they should also refrain from interfering the employment chances of the qualified pharmacy people.

The traders also alleged that in several clinics, run by doctors, the medicines are dispensed not by the doctors, but by some other people who are not qualified for drug dispensation. Government should bring in a law to make it mandatory that stocking, distribution and sale of drugs should be the exclusive job of the qualified pharmacists.

The Union government is moving ahead with a plan to modify and amend all the outdated laws in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficacy of all the administrative systems and it has invited suggestions from the general public and all other stakeholders.