March 01, 2008	Saturday	Safar 22, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 29: Endorsing the New Punjab Drug Sale Rules 2007, the Pakistan Pharmacists Association has announced a public-awareness campaign about availability of quality medicines in medical stores. Medical store owners in the city, on the other hand, have warned of strike for an indefinite period from March 31 to condemn the adoption of rules.

A clash of interests has set in through the new drug rules requiring hiring of pharmacists and assistant pharmacists as two categories of drug shops have put two sections of the health sector against each other.To lobby the masses for their cause, the pharmacist body is immediately (from today) initiating a campaign in educational institutions to educate the students on "drug safety rules" and inform them about the points from where quality medicines can be purchased.

A decision to the effect was taken at a meeting at PPA House here. Key figures from social sector, science organisations and PPA officials participated, according to the association.

Alliance for Human Protection President Noor Muhammad highlighted the difficulties faced by patients because of “wrong and irrational” drug use. He said with the step the country joined an extensive club where qualified professionals supervised the sale of specialised medicines.

The measure, he hoped, would also help check the sale of spurious and poor-quality medicines, thus saving patients from harmful side-effects.

Denying the impression that the new rules would force closure of drug shops, he said the profession would rather grow with its improved image in the public eye through professional conduct.

He explained that the new rules had classified two categories of drug sale points -- medical store and pharmacy. A medical store would function as such under the supervision of an assistant pharmacist and would have the liberty to sell 98 per cent of medicines available in the country. While a pharmacy would function under the direct supervision of a qualified pharmacist who would monitor the purchase, availability, storage and dispensing of all medicines.

Some of the specialised medicines mentioned in Schedule G of the manual had limited use and were of sensitive nature and would be available only at a pharmacy, he said. These included anti-cancer, hormonal preparations, cardiovascular drugs, few anaesthesia preparations and narcotic drugs, etc.

Quoting a survey, he claimed that these medicines were available only at two to three per cent of the medical stores.

Pakistan Chemists Retailers Association chairman Ishaq Mayo challenges these assertions. He said there were 143 groups of medicines in the Schedule G which ordinary drug shops would not be allowed to sell. These included remedies for rabies and typhoid, both of the diseases mostly related to rural areas.

He alleged that pharmacies permitted to deal in these drugs were owned by big investors and would operate in major cities only, thus denying the rural population an easy access to these medicines. The categorisation would also hit the ordinary drug shops' business as people would prefer to visit pharmacies where all types of medicines would be available, he added.

He described the step as a ploy to benefit big investors at the cost of people with meager resources in the health sector.