Violation of Act: Authorities took action against 723 pharmacies in 2 years

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In fiscals 2020-21 and 2021-22, the state drug control administration initiated action against 723 pharmacies for violating the relevant Act and other Rules.

The action taken in the two fiscals included suspension of 376 pharmacy licences and cancellation of 263 pharmacy licences. The state drug control administration also closed 84 pharmacies in the past six months. In fiscals 2018-19 and 2019-20, the drug control administration suspended 113 pharmacy licences.

Talking to The Sentinel, State Drug Controller Hridayananda Mahanta said, "The Government initiated action against the violation of Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940, Rules 1945 and other relevant Acts."

Earlier, the Assam Pharmacy Council (APC) had cancelled the registration of 1,810 pharmacists in two phases – 1,374 pharmacists on February 21, 2020, and 437 on May 6, 2020. The authority then issued two separate gazette notifications regarding the cancellation of registrations of the fake pharmacists.

When asked about the action taken against the 1,810 fake pharmacists, Mahanta said, "After receiving the letter from the APC with the gazette notifications affixed, we acted on that. I ordered the drug inspectors of various districts to verify if any fake pharmacists were working in retail pharmacies within their jurisdiction. We served show-cause notices to the pharmacies where the 1,810 pharmacists with fake registration were working. We found later that most of the pharmacies appointed genuine pharmacists. The 723 pharmacies we acted against had appointed pharmacists who had figured in the list of 1,810 fake ones earlier."

The State government had received an allegation in 2008 that most of the pharmacists registered under Section 32(B) of the Pharmacy Act, 1984 were fake. The government had to form a scanning committee to ascertain the allegation. The scanning committee found the allegation true and recommended the APC to cancel the registrations of the fake pharmacists.

Mahanta said, "We have only 17 drug controllers in the state. We will appoint 22 more drug inspectors by September this year. That will help us carry out inspections more frequently."

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