DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 19: Basing on several complaints of selling duplicate/ sub standard medicine without possessing proper medical knowledge, owner of New ST Pharmacy namely Jafar Uddin has been arrested on November 18. The New ST Pharmacy, located situated at Lower PWD Colony, Kohima, opposite Sangtam Baptist Church and near Chandmari Higher Secondary School, has also been closed down.
It was learnt from colony residents that the accused had admitted before the police of having no knowledge of medicine and that he is just learning by running and selling medicine by himself. It said the accused, non-Naga does not possess any related diploma or certificate to run a Pharmacy.
Having learned of the incident, Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) has condemned and termed it as serious crime amounting to playing with innocent lives. NVCO said the act of selling medicine without proper knowledge cannot tolerate. In the month of September, one salesperson of ‘Save a life pharmacy’ of Naga Hospital Authority Kohima was arrested selling expired medicine to an outdoor patient, who suffered severe vomiting after consuming the said medicine.
NVCO president Kezhokhoto Savi has appealed the district administration and concerned department to take up necessary immediate measures by conducting checking of all the pharmacies especially in Kohima town so as to control and do away with the practices of selling expired and sub-standard/duplicate medicines without having proper permit as well as salesperson in pharmacy without having knowledge of medicine etc.
Savi said pharmacists are expected to follow atleast some minimum standard guidelines which are intended to serve as a basic guide in hospitals or outside the hospital.
