Unless courts intervene and issue notices/ directions to the Government and its different agencies, in majority of cases, nothing happens in Jammu and Kashmir even if the matter was of utmost importance , even that concerning the general health and wellbeing of the people. We have in the administrative system a whole varied structure of different departments and authorities to conform to the practicability and thus importance of ”checks and balances” but mostly existing on paper. While previously as against only a few shops of chemists used to be in both the capital cities of Jammu and Kashmir and at prominent places and towns only , now the scenario is that dozens of medical shops are in business in each market and even every locality and mohalla . They are in the ”business” obviously because of two factors – increase in population and incidence of more diseases and ailments due to host of reasons including changed life styles , pollution and menace of adulteration. That medicines even would be ”adulterated” or in other words be spurious and of poor standard, is just shocking since it is tantamount to playing with the health of the people , therefore, the result is that treatment with such medicines and drugs gets impaired and prolonged and even complicated instead of the patients recovering fast . This situation is thus giving space to a vicious cycle of spurious drugs- official connivance- corruption- huge profit margin etc- to operate with full capacity to the peril of the common innocent citizen. Now , the Division Bench of the High Court is hearing a PIL filed in this connection whereupon the court has issued notices to the UT and Central Governments to seek response from them on the spurious and sub-standard medicines and drugs being sold in Jammu and Kashmir.
Needless to add, we have very rarely seen in years in a row , any chemist / pharmacist etc booked for selling cheap, sub-standard , spurious and even fake medicines across Jammu and Kashmir. It is not that the concerned authorities of the Drug Control Authority , Food Control Organisation, Drugs Standard Control Organisation etc are not in know of how, where and how much of a brisk trade of such type of ”medicines” is going on worth hundreds of crores of Rupees in Jammu and Kashmir but the question is as to why no action is taken. What prevents the authorities from taking a stringent action , however, is apparent and thus fairly known. Calling a spade a spade, the elements of active connivance and corruption in such a prevalent scenario are the banes of the direct and even disguised troubles of a common citizen who pays right through his nose and immensely suffers too since he does not get what was not only desired but urgently needed. Use of medicines by the people in Jammu and Kashmir comprising a good measure of self medication is highest as compared to most of the states in India and it is an admitted fact that pharmaceutical business has thus grown exponentially over the years in the UT.
The inaction and near total numbness of the inside office staff and field staff of the concerned responsible departments can be easily seen in not bothering to surprisingly inspect, check and verify necessary details, invoices, addresses and particulars of such pharmaceutical companies, see and verify the requisite stocks and inventory at both the retail as well as the wholesale outlets to find out the extent of such a business in spurious and sub-standard medicines flourishing in Jammu and Kashmir. How such things are “covered up ” can be seen by recalling way back in 2013, a join action forum comprising association of Doctors , paramedics and pharmacists in Srinagar alleging cover-up and inaction by the Government in spurious and fake drugs scams for which as a protest, a call of shutdown too was given. Who issues Drugs Licenses for dispensing medicines, perhaps, in ”wholesale” without checking and verifying antecedents of the applicant chemist which previously used to be given very discreetly and in a transparent way only to the eligible ones.
The honest, law abiding and genuine chemists too are sore since fingers of suspicion is raised at times even against them so much is the overwhelming -ness of the spurious drugs and medicines going on clandestinely in the Union Territory. Since , now the Hon’ble High Court of Jammu and Kashmir is hearing the PIL and directions having been sent to the concerned authorities, we expect a stern action against such unscrupulous chemists , distributors and the companies mainly operating from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP but their main market being Jammu and Kashmir for sale of these types of medicines manufactured by them.
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