Mumbai, Jun 24: The recent move of the Centre to amend the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules 1945 and insert Schedule HX on misuse of antibiotics will make a serious impact on health services, particularly in rural and micro interior areas of the country, according to the AIOCD.
The All India Organisation of Chemists & Druggist (AIOCD) have raised the issue with the Government of India in this regard and submitted a memorandum to the President, Prime Minister, Union Health Minister, the Drug Controller General of India, and all state Chief Ministers and others concerned, the association said in a statement here.
AIOCD is of the opinion that while preparing this notification the government has over-sighted so many naked issues like availability of registered medical practitioners in rural and micro rural areas, financial condition of the poor public, mass violation of Schedule K, regular availability of medicines in government hospitals and availability of health services to comply with requirements, it said.
It will not serve the purpose but will severely impact availability of antibiotics in 65 per cent of the rural and urban population, the statement said.
The AIOCD urges the government to look into their memorandum and rethink on any such amendments to the D & C rules, it said.
Schedule HX has two parts. Part A has 16 antibiotic drugs. These drugs should be sold directly by drug manufacturers to tertiary care hospitals. Part B has 74 drugs and formulations that can be sold by chemists on the prescription of Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) in duplicate. One copy of the prescription will be kept with the RMPs for a further two years, the statement said.
If our request is not considered by the Union Government,it may affect the survival of 7.5 lakh chemists of the country, AIOCD President J S Shinde said. PTI
