Patients run from pillar to post for meds as nearly 45k pharmacies remain shut

Hyderabad: Thousands of pharmacies across Telangana remained shut on Wednesday as part of a nationwide strike against e-pharmacies and alleged irregularities in online medicine sales, leaving patients struggling to access medicines.

The shutdown, backed by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), saw participation from nearly 45,000 pharmacies across the state, including around 20,000 in Hyderabad. Furthermore, members of the Hyderabad Chemists and Druggists Association (HCDA), along with pharmacists and medical shop owners, staged protests at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).

Protesters alleged that unregulated online medicine sales endangered patient safety, encouraged the misuse of prescription drugs and threatened the survival of small retail pharmacies. They demanded stricter action against online platforms operating without proper prescription verification.

“Online platforms are selling medicines without proper prescription verification while offering heavy discounts that small pharmacies cannot match. This protest is aimed at safeguarding patient safety as well as protecting the survival of small chemists,” said Santosh Kumar, general secretary of HCDA.

With neighbourhood pharmacies shut, many patients and attendants were seen moving from one locality to another in search of medicines.

“My father’s diabetes medicines got over this morning. I visited four shops before finally finding one open near a hospital,” said Ravi Kumar, an attendant at NIMS.

Meanwhile, hospital pharmacies continued operations to ensure access to essential medicines for critically ill patients and emergency cases. Corporate pharmacy chains also remained open across the city, drawing long queues of customers throughout the day.