Around 10,000 chemists and druggists across Himachal Pradesh observed a day-long strike on Wednesday to protest the rapid expansion of e-pharmacies and demand the rollback of government provisions facilitating online medicine sales. The shutdown disrupted medicine supplies across the state, forcing patients to depend largely on pharmacies operating within government hospitals.
The protesting chemists, including retailers and wholesalers, claimed that the unchecked growth of online pharmacies has pushed thousands of small and medium pharmacy owners towards an “existential crisis.” They alleged that despite repeated representations to both the state and Central governments, their concerns regarding unfair competition and public health risks have largely remained unaddressed.
A major point of contention is the GSR 220(E) notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on March 26, 2020, which allowed registered pharmacies to deliver medicines directly to consumers’ homes during the Covid-19 lockdown. While introduced as an emergency measure, traditional chemists argued that the provision has continued beyond its intended purpose and has opened the floodgates for large e-pharmacy corporations.
In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, the Solan District Chemists and Druggists Alliance accused online platforms of engaging in predatory pricing through heavy corporate-backed discounts, making it impossible for local chemists to compete on equal terms. The alliance also demanded the withdrawal of provisions such as GSR 817, which they said further legitimised online medicine sales.
Alliance president Vipul Sharma warned that if the current trend continues unchecked, small chemists would gradually be driven out of business, destabilising the pharmaceutical retail sector across the state.
The protesting chemists also raised concerns over public health and patient safety. They alleged that several online platforms fail to physically verify prescriptions and repeatedly use the same prescriptions to dispense restricted medicines and antibiotics. According to them, such practices contribute to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, an issue already flagged by healthcare experts. The strike led to long queues at government-run pharmacies as patients struggled to access essential medicines throughout the day.
