Why are the Maha chemists striking – again?

The answer is one person - Maha FDA Commissioner Mahesh Zagade. Ever since his appointment in 2011, the Maha FDA's strict implementation of rules has resulted in constant agitation and irritation of t

By: Editorial Team | | Updated: January 7, 2014 10:56 am

The answer is one person – Maha FDA Commissioner Mahesh Zagade. Ever since his appointment in 2011, the Maha FDA’s strict implementation of rules has resulted in constant agitation and irritation of the various chemists associations in the state. Also Read - New drug for leukemia approved: FDA

In the latest showdown, chemists in Maharashtra have decided to observe a three-day shut down from today against the ‘draconian’ interpretation of the Drug & Cosmetics Act, 1940 by the Maharashtra Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Chemists’ associations will protest the FDA’s crackdown on chemists operating without qualified pharmacists. There are around 55,000 chemists in Maharashtra of which 7,000 operate in Mumbai. ‘We are going ahead with our three-day strike from Monday to protest against FDA’s harassment of chemists across the state and not fulfilling their earlier assurances,’ Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association President J S Shinde told PTI here today. Nearly 55,000 chemists will observe the shut down, he said. Also Read - Dietary supplements can be dangerous for your health

Chemists are against the Maharashtra FDA’s new rule under which the patients would have to get new prescriptions every time they visit a chemist’s shop to purchase regularly used medicines, to be taken for life time diseases like asthma, blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. If patients do not have valid prescriptions written by qualified doctors, chemists will not be able to dispense the medicines, as per the new rule. FDA had asked chemists to sell medicines on prescriptions that fall under schedules prescribed by the Centre. Patients would have to get prescription only from qualified allopathic doctors to get allopathic medicines, chemists claim. Also Read - World Drug Day: Dealing with drug addiction

Patients from slums and interior areas would suffer the most as there are hardly any allopathic doctors practising in these areas, the Retail & Dispensing Chemists’ Association said in a statement. In rural areas, the problem will be more pronounced as in a radius of 20 km, there are hardly any qualified doctors, the release said. Though prescriptions written in hospitals sometimes are not as per FDA’s new norms, on humanitarian grounds, chemists dispense medicines to patients. Sometimes, sensing an emergency at late night, chemists dispense medicines without looking into whether patient have proper prescriptions or not. According to the Maharashtra FDA, the law has to be followed even at the cost of the patient’s life and this may drastically affect health care, the Association said. If the FDA doesn’t stop implementing the law in a ‘draconian’ manner without looking into practicality, chemists will be forced to go on an indefinite strike, it said.

FDA Commissioner Zagade said the state government has asked FDA officials to take action against chemists who down shutters from today. ‘According to Section 4 (1) of the MESMA, sale of medicines comes under essential health service, which is an emergency service. The chemists are not allowed to shut their shops or go on strike. If they go on the strike, we will take action against them under MESMA,’ he said. He added, ‘While we are still hopeful that chemists will withdraw their stir, as a precautionary measure we have announced helpline numbers in every district and have urged district, government and cottage hospitals to update their stock of drugs.’

The chemists in Maharashtra and the current Maharashtra FDA have been at loggerheads for the last two years ever since Mahesh Zagade was appointed head. An unscrupulous IAS officer who is known for his decisiveness, the Maha FDA Commissioner has certainly ruffled the chemists in the state with his demand for accountability and strict implementation of laws. Here are some bones of contention:

The absence of pharmacists

The FDA found that many chemist shops in the state simply didn’t employ pharmacists which can hamper patient safety. This move caused a lot of opposition since a lot of chemists claimed that they couldn’t afford to have pharmacists 24/7. Zagade however didn’t relent pointing out that patients’ safety was of extreme importance and pharmacists were vital to make sure sub-standard or wrong drugs weren’t sold.

The sale of abortion pills

Another bone of contention was the selling of abortion or MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) pills. Since 2011, the sale of MTP pills dropped by 87% and one of the reasons for this was stricter implementation of the PCPNDT Act. This has resulted in a 159-point jump last year in the number of baby girls born per 1,000 boys and a much-improved 905-1000 birth sex ratio.

Bills and receipts for medicine

Zagade saw that only 5-6% transactions of chemists were billed. Under him, the FDA enforced that no drug be sold by a chemist shop without issuing a bill, which will help prevent the sale of spurious drugs and increase accountability.

Faster testing and analysis of health and medicinal products

Earlier it took several months before the analysis report of a drug was available but Zagade made it the norm for reports to come in three days. He also created a system whereby the chemical analyser will with a single email will inform all the drug inspectors in the state, all the FDA Commissioners around the country and the media bout the findings! ‘This will alert the machinery and the general public will be informed through the media about the products which are recalled from the market,’ he points out.

Love him or hate him, the Maha FDA Commissioner is one man who certainly can’t be ignored in these parts.

With inputs from agencies

Published : December 16, 2013 2:55 pm | Updated:January 7, 2014 10:56 am

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