LAHORE - On the call of Chemists Association and bodies representing manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and pharmacists, medical stores continued shutter-down strike on the second day yesterday to protest against recent amendments in Drug Act, causing huge inconvenience to patients across the province including Lahore.
Like the previous day, patients were the ultimate sufferer of closure of more than 80 per cent of the medical stores.
Model pharmacies inside tertiary care hospitals and medical stores in the close vicinity were the only option for patients in big cities including Lahore.
Extraordinary rush of patients from outside caused severe shortage of many lifesaving drugs at model pharmacies inside the hospitals.
The medical stores continuing business also faced shortage of many essential drugs due to closure of wholesale medicines market at Lohari Gate.
Addressing a Press conference at Lahore Press Club, Chairman Retailers Association Ishaq Meo said that medical stores have been closed in mourning of suicide attack on rally of chemists.
He said that retailers association opposed strike and there was no change in stance even today.
Ishaq Meo said that the government first formed a Committee to remove reservations of chemists and then notified Drug Act in haste. As such, he said, proceedings of Committee would be a big joke.
He said that retailers have reservations on deleting some medicines from dispenser licence in July 2017. He said that some people wanted to make hegemony on drug industry which was not acceptable. He said that retailers would go to courts against illegal act of the government.
