The drug department on a pharmacy in 11th chemist shop to be sealed and 30 chemists lose licence

NOIDA: The district drug department on Friday sealed a pharmacy in Mamura for being run without a pharmacist making it the 11th chemist shop to be sealed in the past two months. It has also suspended licences of over 30 chemists in the past two months for operating their pharmacies without a pharmacist.

During the Friday raid, a pharmacy in Chhalera also received a show-cause notice by the department. Officials had said that the drive against shops violating rules will be intensified after Dussehra.

Deepanshu Medical Store in Mamura was sealed and Pooja Medical Store in Chhalera was issued a show-cause notice. The department also banned the sale of drugs by the store for now.

During the inspection, the officials found that Deepanshu Medical Store had not appointed a registered pharmacist and was instead being run by the chemist, who was not present in the store at the time of the inspection.

Deepak Sharma, drug inspector of the district told TOI that there was no proprietor or pharmacist present at the store when it was raided and instead a third person was found at the store. "We have sealed the store and the chemist? licence has been sent to the District Licensing Authority for action. No bills were found for the sale and purchase of the drugs," he said.

Similarly, at Pooja Medical Store, no pharmacist was found and hence, a show-cause notice was issued by the department to the store owner and sale of drugs was stopped. Employing a registered pharmacist at the store is necessary for chemists.

The chemist association blamed the government for the mess saying it issued licences without keeping a check on the numbers. Anoop Khanna, president, Gautam Budh Nagar chemist association told TOI that it (the drive against pharmacies) is like asking someone to make a mistake and then punishing them for it. "The government has allowed so many drug stores to run and issued licences but pharmacists are few and have become redundant now. It is very unfair to those who are running their pharmacies with a pharmacist as they don't even need one."


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/11-drug-stores-sealed-30-chemists-lose-licence/articleshow/54859712.cms