District Administration Jalandhar braces to launch sustained campaign against illegal sale of habit forming drugs

Jalandhar, October 24, 2013:  The District Administration today geared up to launch a sustained campaign against illegal sale of habit forming drugs and sought cooperation from chemists and druggists association to make this campaign a great success.

Varun Roozam Deputy Commissioner today held a detailed meeting with the representatives of various chemists and druggists associations to finalize modalities of this campaign.

It may be added that there are over 1300 retail chemists besides 370 wholesale druggists in the district and there are 2 associations representing retailers and wholesalers. It is decided in the meeting that no chemist would sell these drugs without prescription from qualified doctor on his letterhead. It would be mandatory for each chemist to put a stamp on the prescription slip after selling the medicine to the patient to ensure that patient would not be able to get same medicine from other chemist on the same prescription.

Calling upon chemists and druggists association to understand their responsibility towards the society the Deputy Commissioner said that the district administration was determined to put a complete check on rampant off the counter sale of such habit forming drugs and would enforce such measures to end this practice.

It was decided in the meeting that six identified drugs would be only available in the hospitals and chemists stores located in the vicinity of the hospitals and would not be sold isolated chemists stores.

 It was also decided in the meeting to launch a sustained drive against non registered medical practitioners and quacks who are in the business of selling these drugs to the youth. The health department was asked to launch a drive against them and book them under relevant provisions of law.

The department was asked to keep an eye on medical representatives of various companies so that they should not be able to supply free sample of such drugs to the youth.

It was decided to have a meeting with IMA, Doctors and medical practitioners to sensitize them and seek their cooperation in this campaign. Besides representatives of chemists bodies, prominent amongst those who attended the meeting included Gurmeet Singh S.P., Iqbal Singh SDM, Paramjit Singh, SDM,  H S Dhaliwal SDM Shahkot and Nakodar and Divisional Drug Inspector Gurdeep Singh. www.cityairnews.com

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