Chemists continue shutter-down strike across S Punjab

Rally started in front of Nishtar Hospital for acceptance of demands

MULTAN: Chemists, druggists and retailers of medicines on Saturday organised a rally in front of Nishtar Hospital Multan and blocked the main roads to press the authorities for acceptance of their demands.

All the medical stores across Punjab continued their shutter-down strike for the third consecutive day. Medicine traders refuted the claim of the government regarding an agreement between Pakistan Chemist and Druggist Association.

Medical stores in Multan, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, Rajanpur, Gojra, Hafizabad and Pakpattan remained closed as drug store owners across Punjab continued to protest the recent amendment in Punjab Drug Act 2017.



Traders of wholesale medicine market staged a sit-in at Chowk Ghanta Ghar and expressed their concern on the mysterious silence of the Punjab government.

Medical store owners have been protesting against the amendment under which a pharmacist’s presence at a medical store has been made mandatory.

Vowing to continue their protest if the demands were not met, the participants of the rally said the new amendment in the drug act was an attack on the pharmaceutical sector.

Dera Ghazi Khan Drug Association Chairman Sheikh Muhammad Naveed and Chemist Association President Nadeem Iqbal were of the view that the whole pharmaceutical community was on the same page against the new amendment and all the medical stores, pharmacies, distributors and whole sellers would observe complete strike till the acceptance of demands.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2018.