Cuttack: Beware of ordinary salesmen at chemist shops while purchasing essential drugs for your near and dear ones. These salesmen without proper medical knowledge may give you drugs which are not prescribed by the physician. If that happens, the chances are high that these medicines could complicate the condition of patients.
A case in point is a person from CDA Sector 9 area who had rushed to a drugstore at Sector 6 to purchase some drugs for his six-month-old son who was suffering from diarrhoea. The man had a list of medicines prescribed by a doctor. However, a salesman at the chemist shop gave some other medicine which turned the condition of the ailing baby critical after administering it, sources said.
There were instances when patients lost their lives by taking wrong medication ‘prescribed’ by salesmen at chemist shops in the Silver City. Five years ago, a woman had consulted a senior doctor at gynaecology and obstetrics department on a certain issue. The senior physician had prescribed a medicine for the woman. However, a salesman at a chemist shop gave her a diabetes drug after going through the doctor’s prescription. The woman eventually lost her life.
It is learnt that a majority of drugstores in the Millennium City do not have trained pharmacists. Owners of these chemist shops usually arrange a pharmacy degree certificate to get the necessary approval to sell medicines.
“Only five per cent of chemist shops in the city have trained pharmacists. The remaining drugstores have somehow arranged pharmacy degree certificates to sell medicines. They usually recruit ordinary salesmen to sell drugs to people,” said Kusha Panda, a pharmacy student at SCB Medical College and Hospital here.
According to sources, drug inspectors appointed by the Health Department are supposed to visit chemist shops and keep a tab on their infrastructure and manpower. The Silver City has three drug inspectors to check irregularities at chemist shops.
Moreover, the district administration has constituted a joint enforcement squad to keep an eye on sale and purchase of essential drugs. However, the administration is yet to take the untrained salesmen issue seriously.
“Drug inspectors have tacit understanding with chemist shop owners. These officials are very much aware that most of the drug stores in the city do not have trained pharmacists. These unscrupulous traders usually arrange pharmacy degree certificates by paying around Rs 4,000 monthly to pharmacists,” claimed social activist Amiya Bhusan Biswal.
Interestingly, the district administration has no knowledge about the CDA incident. “I do not have any information on the CDA incident where wrong drugs were administered to a baby. Anyway, we will look into the issue and act accordingly,” said collector Sushant Mahapatra.
Zone 1 drug inspector Jagannath Mallick also feigned ignorance on the CDA incident. Additional sub-collector and joint enforcement squad chief Khetra Mohan Swain said they do not have vehicles to inspect drugstores. “A vehicle allotted to the squad has been lying defunct for the past two months,” he added.
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