BBCDA concerned over lack of deserving recognition to pharmacist community

June 3, 2023

Bruhath Bengaluru Chemists and Druggists Association (BBCDA) is of the view that pharmacists today face unhealthy competition, long work hours and lack of recognition despite their qualification and ability to dispense information about medicines, adverse drug reactions and rational use of prescribed treatment protocols.

According to M K Mayanna, president, BBCDA and vice president, Karnataka Pharma Retailers and Distributors Organization, as medicine providers for patients in India, there is a constant challenge on the drug margins which is currently between 16 to 20 per cent. But some of the pharmacy chain stores offer 20% discount to the patients which is a gross violation of Pharmacy Act which refrains from pharmacists to give rebates, discounts, or even advertise medicines and compel the patient to purchase the medicines which is not a healthy competition.

Moreover, pharmacy outlets work long business hours to cater to the patients’ needs for medicines, extend advice on safe and effective medicines use during an medical emergency or otherwise. Yet all this hard work is not acknowledged by the government. Instead, we are looked upon as traders of medicine and the professional knowledge on medicine and medication protocol is overlooked, Mayanna told Pharmabiz in an email.

We need a strong support to recognize our efforts. To this end BBCDA was formed in 2014 by like- minded pharmacists in an effort to dispense medications and provides advice for its effective use. This is with the objective to ensure disease prevention and safeguard public health, he said.

Through BBCDA, we have been able to work for the betterment of the pharmacy fraternity. It is here we highlighted that e-pharmacy business model was a bane to the profession. Our vociferous protests along with other pharmacists in the country led the government to come out with the first draft on e-pharmacy regulations which is yet to be finalized, pointed out Mayanna

Further, we also went on make purchases from e-pharmacy portals of narcotic & psychotropic drugs that come under the ambit of Schedule X of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act mandating prescription and maintaining a record of its sale. The drugs we bought were handed over the Karnataka drugs control department under the aegis of Raghuram Bhandary in 2013-14 who took action against such portals, said Mayanna.

BBCDA has always been prompt in highlighting the need to understand the various taxation laws among its members. One such was GST (Goods and Services Tax) that the pharmacy outlet fraternity needed more clarity. For this, we approached the Karnataka Commercial Tax department which conducted seminars for the pharmacy trade to comprehend the nuances of levy and this was attended by 6000 participants from our pharmacy business.

During the Covid pandemic the pharmacy trade fraternity were acknowledged as Covid warriors. The government mandated that pharmacists to be among the first to receive the vaccination along with other healthcare professionals as they were the most vulnerable to contract the virus infection. Yet there were several who succumbed to Covid before vaccination and their families were financially supported thereafter, he said.

To this end, BBCDA has been communicating its requests to resolve the challenges that the pharmacy trade encounters with online pharmacies, unhealthy discounts offered by chain stores and taxation issues,, said Mayanna.

PHARMABIZ.com