Kohima, November 19 (MExN): The owner of ‘New S.T Pharmacy’ located at Lower PWD colony in Kohima was arrested on November 18 following several complaints from residents/consumers against him “for not having any knowledge of medicine and suspected to be selling duplicate/sub-standard medicine,” according to a press release from Press & Media Cell, NVCO. The pharmacy has been closed down now, the release said. Quoting residents of the colony where the pharmacy was located, NVCO said that the accused admitted before the police of “having no knowledge of medicine and had also stated that he is just learning by running and selling medicine by himself.” Stating that the accused, a non-Naga, does not possess any related diploma or certificate to run a pharmacy, it further said that the pharmacy is suspected to have a permit of local citizen. The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) condemned the incident and termed it a serious case. “The NVCO cannot tolerate this kind of incident where someone who does not have any knowledge of medicine is running a business and also sells medicine to the innocent and ignorant citizen. Our citizens, especially the illiterate ones, simply trust any shop written ‘Pharmacy’ to buy medicine for any sickness thinking someone in the pharmacy knows their health problem,” it stated. The president of NVCO, Kezhokhoto Savi has appealed to the district administration and department concerned to take up necessary measures by checking all the pharmacies, especially in Kohima Town, so as to “control and do away with the shortcomings of proper practices such as selling expired and sub-standard/duplicate medicines, running pharmacy without having proper permit, salesperson in pharmacy without having knowledge of medicine, etc.” The NVCO also warned house owners to be more careful in giving out rent. Especially for commercial purposes, it asked to check whether the said business is proper. In the case of pharmacy, the house owner must first find out whether the pharmacy is going to be run with proper permit and manned by efficient person such as someone who has sufficient knowledge and experiences in dealing with medicine or possesses required degree/diploma/certificate in dealing or running a pharmacy, the organization stated. It also warned local citizens not to allow non-locals to run business in their name and operate with their permit, etc. Further, the NVCO president asserted that the pharmacists are expected to follow at least the minimum standard guidelines which are intended to serve as a basic guide for the provision of pharmacy services in hospitals or outside the hospital and these guidelines may be useful in evaluating the scope and quality of pharmacy services. “The mission of pharmacists is to help people make the best use of medications. Therefore, pharmacists shall be concerned with not only the provision but the outcomes of pharmacy services,” it added.
