Medical shops across Nagpur remained closed on Wednesday in response to a nationwide one-day strike called by chemists and druggists associations against the online sale of medicines. No instances of inconvenience to patients were reported, as emergency services remained operational throughout the day.
Protest and Memorandum
Members of the Nagpur District Chemists and Druggists Association (NDCDA), Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association (MSCDA), and the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists staged a protest at Samvidhan Square between 10 am and 2 pm. Around 200 chemists participated in the agitation. Protesters also paid floral tributes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at the square before submitting a memorandum to the Collector's Office and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nagpur.
Reasons for the Strike
The associations opposed online pharmacies and the heavy discounts offered by them, alleging that such platforms encourage illegal medicine distribution and compromise patient safety. They demanded stricter regulations to curb the unregulated sale of medicines online.
Emergency Services and Helpline
Despite the bandh, emergency medicine services remained operational through a helpline mechanism coordinated by the FDA and chemist associations. Contact numbers of FDA drug inspectors and chemist association office-bearers were circulated in advance for patients requiring urgent medicines, especially cancer patients, accident victims, and other critical cases.
According to the FDA, steps were initiated before the strike to avoid hardship to citizens. Meetings were held with wholesale and retail chemist associations, urging them to keep essential services functional in the public interest. The administration also remained in touch with individual pharmacists to ensure the availability of medicines during emergencies.
FDA officials issued helpline numbers of drug inspectors Swati Bharde, Prashant Ramteke, and Abhishek Chawardol for emergency assistance. Patients contacting the helpline were guided to nearby pharmacies, or arrangements were made to open shops in the concerned locality.
Response from Chemists' Association
Manish Mehadia, an executive member of the chemists' association, said no patient was forced to travel long distances for medicines. "Medical stores in areas where emergency calls were received were opened, and medicines were provided. Priority was given to cancer patients, critical patients, and emergency cases," he said.
Impact on Hospitals and Patients
Indian Medical Association (IMA) Nagpur president Dr. Sachin Gatte said the strike caused only limited inconvenience. "Only a few patients complained of not getting medicines, but most people were aware of the strike. Admitted patients did not face issues as hospital-attached pharmacies remained open," he said.
Hospital IPD services largely remained unaffected, as pharmacies attached to major hospitals continued operations for admitted patients. However, several OPD patients faced delays in procuring medicines from retail outlets during the day.
The FDA also clarified in advance that select pharmacy chains, along with emergency pharmacies attached to large hospitals, would remain operational during the bandh.
Economic Impact
The chemists' associations claimed that the one-day strike resulted in business losses worth crores of rupees for traders across the region, while the government also suffered tax revenue losses running into lakhs due to the complete shutdown of medicine trade establishments.
