Patients and their attendants across Punjab faced a harrowing time on Wednesday as the statewide chemists’ strike disrupted medicine supply, forcing many to move from one shop to another in the scorching heat in search of essential medicines.
The situation remained particularly difficult for elderly patients and those suffering from chronic illnesses who struggled to arrange life saving medicines and daily prescriptions.
Dr Dinesh Mittal, a Phagwara based physician, said the strike had created an acute medical crisis. “I have had to turn down several patients, including those suffering from blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Missing even a single dose can prove hazardous for such patients. Hence, we are arranging medicines through known pharmacists and giving injections to patients with severe conditions, but the risk of health deterioration still remains,” he said.
He warned that delay in medication could lead to sudden spikes in blood pressure and sugar levels, while serious patients also faced risks of heart failure, breathing complications and stroke. “We are referring patients to DMC and other major hospitals to ensure timely treatment,” he added.
Dr RS Nagpal, a dermatologist from Phagwara, said patients from far-flung areas were suffering the most in the extreme heat. “I had to turn away two-three chickenpox patients, who should not miss even one dose. But we are helpless and asking them to return tomorrow,” he said.
Patients in Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala and Ludhiana complained that most nearby chemist shops remained shut, leaving them dependent on overcrowded hospital pharmacies. Long queues were witnessed outside medicine counters in need of essential medicines.
Rajesh Kumar, who was searching for medicines for his diabetic father in Nawanshahr, said he visited nearly six shops before finding one open. “The heat made it worse. We kept roaming around for hours to find few pharmacies that are functioning,” he said.
Meanwhile, chemists defended the strike, saying it had issued the helplines of their district president and general secretaries for assistance in critical cases. They said the strike was necessary to safeguard small pharmacy businesses and raise concerns over unchecked online sale of medicines.
Chemist associations from Kapurthala and Phagwara also submitted a memorandum to Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, demanding stricter regulations on online medicine sales and action against alleged sale of fake and narcotic drugs through e-pharmacy platforms.
