HYDERABAD, Jan 1: The Saddar Chemist Alliance (SCA) warned that the chemists would be compelled to take extreme steps if their licences were not renewed, the extortion of the chemists was not stopped, a drug inspector was not posted and life-saving drugs were not supplied to the chemists by the multinational companies.

Speaking at a news conference at the Hyderabad press club on Tuesday, the office bearers of the SCA said that they were engaged in the sensitive business of supplying medicines to the public but they had not been provided any protection by the administration.

They said they were often looted at gunpoint and the vehicles of the pharmaceutical companies were stopped and they were not allowed to distribute medicines without paying money to the extortioners.

They pointed out that presently no drug inspector had been posted in Hyderabad and as a result their licences were not being renewed nor was any new licence being issued.

They said that in the absence of a drug inspector the multinational companies had been given a free rein to fleece druggists and chemists.

They said that the government had recently increased the prices of drugs and the manufacturers were withholding the supply to earn more profits.

They elucidated that the health officers were witnessing these practices but no action was being taken against the unscrupulous companies.

They said that only a few days back, the chemists of Saddar had received a letter from the divisional drug inspector that under the new set up (power devolution plan) he had no authority to renew or issue any licence within the cantonment area as it had not been included in the new set up.

They asked the secretary for health under what law was the divisional drug inspector, Hyderabad, functioning as the government had abolished the divisions and posts of divisional drug inspectors.

They appealed to the Sindh governor, the chief secretary and the health secretary to resolve their problems immediately.