Illegal medical shops mushroom in North Kashmir’s Bandipora

Suhail Rather

Bandipora, Oct 22: In violation of the rules, scores of medical shops are operating illegally in north Kashmirs' Bandipora district.

Besides the mushroom growth of illegal medical stores in North Kashmirs Bandipora district, even ayurvedic medicine shops are selling allopathic medicines in violation of rules while the shops are being run by people who are not eligible for the job.

According to sources, majority of the clinics are not registered under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994.

They said that doctors indulging in private practice at these clinics and paramedics conducting USGs do not have a diploma or a degree in Radiology, a one-year residency from any medical college, or even a certificate course of six months from a recognised institute.

According to experts, these "unqualified" persons were looting the "gullible" patients by performing USGs while risking their lives.

Sources told that many medical shops are being run by unqualified people in district.

“Most of medical shops are in far-flung areas and are without registration,” they said.

In several areas of Bandipora, even the working government employees including teachers are running such chemist shops where they are regarded as self-styled doctors.

As per rules, a chemist should possess a diploma in pharmacy and can run a medical shop after getting a proper license.

“However, most of the medical shops running in the rural areas here do not operate as per the norms,” locals, said.

Every pharmacist must keep a record of medicines he sells against each prescription. Also a proper ledger and record needs to be maintained on the storage and sale of sedative drugs like codeine which is also being sold in black market by the peddlers, the official said.

Most medical shops are not issuing bills to customers, absence of proper billing system also put question mark on charging of tax from the customers. It also promote sale of substitute drugs to the poor and uneducated customers particularly to the people belonging to underprivileged category who are mostly uneducated. Many medical shops even lack proper storage facilities required for storage of medicines while in many cases, the required infrastructure to run a medical shop was far from reality.

Locals acknowledged that most medical shops are operating illegally in far flung areas.

Irony is many licence holders have borrowed workers for running their clinics, mostly one can see unqualified persons are prescribing medicines and issuing prescriptions.

Police recently also seized sedative drugs in most  parts of  North Kashmir 

The official said they have been conducting surprise raids and checks and have cancelled or seized dozens of shops who were found operating illegally or violating the norms. 

Drug Officials said he will check whether any medical shops are operating illegally in North Kashmirs Bandipora. “We have eyes on every corner and will ensure no medical shop operates against the norms. We also issue the licence as per the proper norms,” officer told.