Chemists oppose opening of pharmacies in government hospitals

The provincial chapter of Pakistan Chemist & Druggists Association (PCDA) here on Saturday rejected the NWFP government decision to establish pharmacy shops in the public sector hospitals, and threatened to launch a province-wide protest campaign from May. They said it would mean financial death of thousands of chemists and druggists.
Addressing a press conference, Mohammad Iqbal, provincial general secretary of the association, said that in the past all such decisions had failed and even the superior judiciary of the country had termed the opening of pharmacy shops in NWFP hospitals unlawful and illegal. He termed it as contempt of the decision of the superior judiciary of the country.
He said that government of Benazir Bhutto in 1996 had allowed the opening of pharmacy shops inside hospitals and directed them to provide medicines on concessional prices to the patients. They were provided free of rent space and electricity by hospitals.
Those persons were neither qualified nor held licence to open pharmacy shops. They opened shops in district and tehsil hospitals and in Basic Health Units (BHUs) after giving huge kickbacks, and instead of providing concessional medicines to patients they sold their medicines in black market to earn more money through illegal means.
The government agencies had seized their cash memos and proved their heavy malpractice in their business. He said that doctors also admitted that hospitals were being provided substandard medicines.
Similarly, he said, the pharmacy shops now being opened in the public sector hospitals are set to sell substandard medicines at exorbitant prices. He said that patients would have to pay 50 percent above the actual price and 30 percent more on surgical and disposable goods.
Iqbal said that the government should invest the sanctioned amount in upgrading and purchase of more research instruments to earn millions of rupees profit without affecting the business of anyone in the province.
He said particularly demanded of the provincial minister of health, Inayatullah, to refrain from initiating such measures, which would widen the gulf between the health department and chemists' community of the province.
He said that the association has chalked out a protest movement plan and would stage a hunger strike camp on Monday, May 1. They would observe token strike in front of hospitals and complete strike of medicine shops in front of public sector hospitals.