Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 10 2009:
The Unemployed Youth Pharmacy Association has appealed to the authority concerned not to detach buckets hooked to ropes for transaction of drugs and other commodities with money, being used by pharmacies located just beyond the southern boundary wall of RIMS in the direction of gynaecology ward.
Speaking to media persons today, assistant secretary of the Unemployed Youth Pharmacy Association L Samananda said that the association hailed opening of five pharmacies within RIMS campus.
However, it would be gross injustice to close down a number of pharmacies in the interest of the newly opened five pharmacies, he said.
Claiming that these pharmacies located in the fringe of RIMS compound have been there since the time RIMS was established, Samananda said these pharmacies have been helping patients in times of emergency by even lending money for laboratory tests conducted outside RIMS as these patients did not have privilege to conduct laboratory tests within RIMS.
As regards the allegation of selling sub-standard drugs, the assistant secretary demanded concrete evidence.
He further questioned as to why doctors and nurses allow patients to consume these sub-standard drugs, if there were any such case.
Saying that there is no guarantee that all drugs prescribed by doctors should be available at pharmacies, Samandanda informed that in times of unavailability of prescribed drugs, drugs with composition similar to the prescribed drugs were issued after consultation between patient parties and doctors.
Clarifying that the pharmacists never sold drugs at inflated prices by deceiving patients or their attendants, Samananda noted that there has been no case in Consumers' Club for selling drugs at increased rates.
These pharmacies located beyond RIMS boundary wall can also offer medicines at lower rates in the same scale as the upcoming five pharmacies within RIMS may offer, he claimed.
However, there has been no intimation from the RIMS authority to the association or through the All Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association to sell drugs at lower rates, he added.