LAHORE (INP): Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) went on strike on Monday against the new drug act in Punjab, and medical stores in several cities have been closed.
Patients are facing difficulties in getting medicines as pharmacies in different cities of Punjab including Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan and Rawalpindi are closed. Protests are being held by the medical store owners in different cities which have made the lives of patients miserable.
Due to a protest in Gujranwala, traffic was jammed and the ambulances could not reach the hospital. As a result, relatives of patients took them to hospital by carrying them on hands and shoulders.
Likewise, people in Khanewal, Narowal and Vehari are also facing problems to get medicines due to these protests.
Pharmaceutical associations of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have also announced to support the strike and the wholesale market of medicines in Karachi is also shut. On the other hand, internal differences between PPMA and Pakistan Chemists’ & Druggists’ Association (PCDA) have arisen as well. One group has announced strike and other has negotiated with Punjab’s Minister for Primary & Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazeer and decided to postpone strike till February 17.
It is pertinent here to mention that according to new drug act in Punjab, punishment of five-year jail with one million rupees fine has been announced for those who will sell substandard medicines, five-year jail and five crore rupees fine for those selling fake medicines, ten-year jail and ten crore rupees fine for those who will sell medicines without license.
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