Spot The Fake

More and more people in Assam are waking up to the reality that their neighbourhood pharmacy could be selling drugs illegally

- Manjum Mahanta

How many times have you opted to go to the local pharmacy instead of the doctor’s chambers to find a cure for a runny nose, a headache or even a fever? Although not an advisable route to take, almost all of us can relate because it is always less time consuming and less expensive to get over-the counter drugs suggested by the staff at the nearest pharmacy, instead of queuing up and paying consultations fees at the doctor’s chambers. But have you wondered about the qualification of the people working in these pharmacies? Are they certified pharmacists? And what about the pharmacy itself? Does it have the right papers in place to sell you drugs? People in Assam are finally asking the all important question after it was revealed that the State is home to numerous pharmacies operating with fake documents.

The Pharmacists Registration and Tracking System

In order to flush out the fakes in Assam and the rest of the country, Pharmacy Council of India’s (PCI) recently launched the Pharmacists Registration and Tracking System (PRTS). The move was welcomed by pharmacist associations across the nation. PRTS will make online registration of pharmacists mandatory and will track registered pharmacists all over India. With the system in place, unqualified people who take pharmacist license on rent and dispense medicines will come under the legal radar. The long term goal is to end the prevalent malpractice of dispensing by unqualified people. Only pharmacists will be allowed to provide pharmacy practice and dispensing.