Amendments to Drug Rules 2017: KP chemists, druggists threaten to go on strike

Local chemists and druggists have threatened that they would go on province-wide strike and stage sit-in outside office of Health secretary, if the provincial government will not withdraw the recent amendments in Drug Rules 2017, within next three days. Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PC&D) district chairman, Syed Zahid Shah said that without proper consultation with the community, provincial health authorities had implemented the Drugs (Amended) Rules 2017.
He said that the step was taken to give benefit to some special people, because the health authorities had ignored the largest community attached with business sale and purchase of medicine in this important policy decision. He asked the provincial government to immediate withdraw it.
The association chairman said that the health authorities had surpassed the directives of the chief minister during the amendments in the Drug Rules 2017, and approved it in haste and implemented across the province without taking community on board, which was tantamount to economic genocide of a large number of people attached with this business, he added.
Flanked by the association provincial Chairman, Ismail Khan, General Secretary Mobeen, Aftab Alam, Obaid and local traders leader, Mehr Elahi and others, Shah has expressed reservation over some points of the drugs (Amended) Rules 2017. According to the new rules, he said the issuance of license form-10 had stopped for category "C" wholesalers/ distributors of the drugs, which should be restored immediately.
Similarly, he said there was no justification to restrictions of scheduled "G" on drugs sale license under category "B". Therefore, he asked the ban should be lifted to allow 100 percent sales of medicine in open market. As per new rules, he said it was made mandatory to have maximum space of 144 square feet for wholesale shop, 120 square feet for retail shop, and 300 square feet for pharmacy shop.