The decision of the Kerala Private Pharmacists Association (KPPA) to take out a protest rally before the Parliament on February 24 against introduction of online pharmacy and the government’s plan to increase licence fee for pharmacies is getting more support with more pharmacy associations expressing solidarity with the KPPA.

While the state branches of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) are keeping silence over the issue as giving a tacit agreement for the government decision, associations of private pharmacists from various states have come forward to support the agitation. Several associations from far off states are extending their support in taking out the protest rally before the Parliament.

More than one hundred members of the Rajasthan State Pharmacists Association (RSPA), the association of working pharmacists in the private sector in Rajasthan, will congregate in New Delhi on February 24 to express their support to the protest rally, Sarwesh Sharma, president of RSPA informed Pharmabiz.

Sofiur Rehmankhan, general secretary of Assam Private Pharmacists Association (APPA) said he is planning to attend the protest march to be conducted for the welfare of the pharmacists’ community in the country, along with a group of his members.

While appreciating the agitation planned by KPPA, Patten Raj, secretary of Tamil Nadu Private Pharmacists Association, said the state committee of his association will meet in next two days to decide on how many members will be sent to Delhi to express support to KPPA by taking out the rally.

Expressing full support to the agitation, C Sanalkumar, president of Kerala Retail Chemists Forum, said several members of his forum will attend the Parliament march and added that most of his members are also having membership with KPPA.

Whereas, the general secretary of the All India Chemists and Druggists Federation (AICDF), Joydeep Sarkar from Kolkata said no one from his association will attend the agitation programme conducted by the private pharmacists body in Kerala. KPPA had not supported the national pharmacy bandh conducted jointly by AIOCD and AICDF on October 14 last year protesting against the move of licensing online pharmacy. On the day, in Kerala, all the members of KPPA had opened their shops.

Apart from the demands of revoking online pharmacy and withdrawal of licence fee hike, KPPA demands that drugs sale licence should be issued only to the registered pharmacists, department of pharmaceuticals should be brought under the ministry of health from petroleum ministry, life saving drugs should be exempted from tax, private pharmacists in the country should be brought under the purview of ESI schemes etc.

K P Dinesh Kumar, general secretary of KPPA, said after the agitation, a preliminary meeting will be held for forming a national level of organisation of private pharmacists involving members from all the states.