More than 15 lakh chemists and druggists across India shut their shops today as part of a nationwide strike called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).
The protest targets the online sale of medicines and what the organisation calls unfair competition from large corporate-backed pharmacy platforms.
AIOCD president Jagannath Shinde announced the bandh during a press conference in Thane. He demanded the withdrawal of pandemic-era notifications that allegedly enabled the misuse of online medicine sales. Shinde assured that emergency healthcare services would continue, and hospital-linked pharmacies would remain open.
The organisation claims online platforms sell fake medicines, antibiotics, and scheduled drugs without valid prescriptions, posing a serious public health risk. Shinde described the online sale of medicines as hazardous and urged authorities to regulate it immediately.
Small pharmacy owners say deep discounts offered online have crippled their business. Discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent make survival difficult for independent chemists. “These discounts are a death knell for small retailers,” Shinde said.
Vilas Joshi and other office bearers from the Thane Chemists and Druggists Association joined the press meet. The strike is expected to disrupt regular medicine purchases across several cities, though emergency access remains unaffected.
