LAHORE: Closure of pharmacies and medical stores against recent amendments in Drug Act caused huge inconvenience to the patients across the province, including Lahore, on Monday.

Under the umbrella of a joint action committee, almost all bodies representing pharmaceutical sector, including the Pakistan Chemists and Retailers Association, the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and the Pakistan Distributors Association had announced a strike to press for withdrawal of recent amendments in the Drug Act that enhanced punishment for manufacturing and selling substandard and fake medicines.

Under the amendments, chemists found keeping any fake, substandard or expired drug at their stores could be arrested.

In Lahore, the wholesale medicines market at the Lohari Gate remained closed throughout the day, while owners of majority medical stores in different localities kept their shutters down.

After closing their shops, the drug store owners and their employees started gathering outside the Lahore Press Club and staged a protest demonstration.

Addressing the protesters, the committee leaders said the protest was the first step in their struggle for stopping the Punjab government from introducing laws which did not exist in any other province and federal capital.

All the medical stores and pharmacies would remain closed for an indefinite period if the controversial amendments were not withdrawn within four days, they warned.

They said the provincial government had introduced an amendment to the Drug Act under which chemists arrested for keeping any fake, substandard or expired drug in their shops would not be able to secure a bail for six months.

They claimed the manufacturers never left expired drugs with medical stores as they took away such materials from the market before the expiry date.

They alleged that the chief minister was acting on the advice of some people who wanted to introduce their own franchises in the province after getting the businesses of local manufacturers and drug store owners shut.

Heavy contingents of police were deployed outside Mayo, Ganga Ram, Services, Lahore General and Jinnah hospitals to provide protection to the medical stores which remained open. However, fear factor kept the owners of most of the medical stores away from their outlets.

The closure of more than 80 per cent medical stores in the city forced the patients, especially those who purchase medicines on daily basis, to approach pharmacies inside the government healthcare facilities for getting necessary medicines.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018