The E-Pharmacy is an off-shoot of modern technology. The benefits of internet pharmacies propagated are convenience; allow the door delivery of drugs at low cost, but the picture presented is misleading and hiding the facts, says All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) as a objection towards ePharmacy working in India.
In a draft notice to Preeti Sudan, Secretary Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, AIOCD mentioned that an important safeguard in health care is patient examination by the physician; licensed pharmacist reviews the prescription and guide patient on medication. This approach i.e. right medicine to right patient from right Registered Medical Practitioner (Prescriber) and right Registered Pharmacist (Dispenser) will break this noble way of treatment of patient. The ePharmacy is looking towards this profession as business. If epharmacy is brought in picture, the patient will miss the services of two professionals i.e. Doctor and Pharmacist who inform patients of proper administration of drugs, dangerous side effects, and drug interactions.
AIOCD highlighted that, self-diagnosis and self-medication will lead to health hazard to society, e.g. High Temperature to human body is due to various diseases, but patients will order drug like paracetamol via ePharmacy. Disease will cross, hazard or fatal level and cannot be controlled after some stage. Therefore timely opinion of physician and intervention of pharmacist is imperative and inevitable. This is missing in ePharmacy concept as OTC drugs don't require prescription of doctor. Even indiscriminate use of OTC drugs has many side effects. E.g. paracetamol causes a severe liver dysfunction if consumed indiscriminately. If present formatted ePharmacy is brought in picture, consumers can purchase OTC drugs without ever speaking to a pharmacist or physician, uncontrolled indiscriminate self-medication will be visible in coming years.
AIOCD explained that ePharmacy will attract major impact on small timers and shops based at villages and small towns. It will also give economical set back to 8 lac chemists and 40 lac workers and their families. It will also impact on dream of our Prime Minister-Shri. Narendraji Modi that "Sabke Saath Sabka Vikas" Though proposed Regulation speak about data to be stored in India but how access of the data from outside India can be prevented?
