Most of the chemist shops in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh remained closed on Friday following the call for a nation-wide, one-day strike against the Central Government's new drug policy and its impact on traders.
Except for some major Government, leading private hospital shops, chemists kept their shops shut at most places. In Chandigarh and nearby areas, over 1,400 chemists kept their shops closed. “Only a few chemists operating in or near major hospitals and emergency areas remained open so that patients were not inconvenienced,” said a leader of the chemists’ association. Across Punjab and Haryana, chemists’ shops remained shut throughout the day. In the Dilkhusha market in Jalandhar,which is known for wholesale and retail chemist shops, all establishments remained closed. Around 7.5 lakh chemists across India were on strike.
The demands include no reduction in trade margins as proposed in the new drug policy, not making it mandatory for a chemist to have a qualified pharmacist at the shop while selling medicines, chemists not to be held responsible for errors of manufacturers, and no Foreign Direct Investment in the pharma trade.