Medicines spoiled but don't go for panic buying : MCDA
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 02 2024:
Although huge stocks of medicines stored in stockists, wholesalers and retailers of Thangal Bazar, BT Road, Rupmahal Tank etc have been spoiled by the recent flood, the Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association (MCDA) has appealed to the public not to indulge in panic buying.
Speaking to media persons at Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade, BT Road here today, MCDA president RK Rakesh said that medicines worth around Rs 15 crore stocked with wholesalers and retailers of different pharmaceutical companies were spoiled by the recent flooding of Imphal city.
Nonetheless, MCDA would do everything to ensure that all medicines are available to people in need, he said.
There were many life saving drugs among the medicines spoiled by the flood and MCDA has been asking the concerned pharmaceutical companies to allow them to return the spoiled life saving drugs, Rakesh said.
"But there are regulations for returning medicines to pharmaceutical companies.
As such, we don't think all the spoiled drugs worth Rs 15 crore can be returned.
We believe drugs worth around Rs 5 crore can be returned at the most", he said.
Even if large stocks of medicines have been spoiled by the flood, it is not advisable for the public to indulge in panic buying for panic buying will only create more problems and even unavailability of medicines at pharmacies, he said.
MCDA would see that there is no shortage of medicines in the State and medicines would be airlifted, if necessary, the MCDA president said.
He also appealed to the Government to provide at least some compensation for the huge losses suffered by medicine wholesalers and retailers.