The government's proposal to make prescription medicine sales at medical stores traceable through CCTV comes amid a striking consumer finding, 64% of surveyed consumers say chemists never or rarely asked for a doctor's prescription before selling medicines.

The findings come from a nationwide LocalCircles survey that received more than 1.06 lakh responses from consumers across 327 districts.

The Union Health Ministry, through a notification issued on September 8, has proposed making CCTV surveillance mandatory at medical stores that dispense medicines sold on prescription. The draft seeks to amend the Drugs Rules, 1945, by inserting a new provision requiring such drug sales to take place under CCTV surveillance.

WHAT DOES THE SURVEY SAY?

According to the survey, 34% of respondents said chemists never asked for a prescription, while another 30% said they were asked very rarely.

Only 11% said chemists asked for a prescription most of the time, while just 4% said they always refused to sell medicines without one.

The findings are particularly significant for medicines covered under prescription requirements, including several antibiotics, anti-TB medicines and habit-forming drugs.

Also Read: Prescription Drugs May Soon Be Sold Under CCTV Surveillance At Pharmacies: Centre

IS YOUR PHARMACIST QUALIFIED?

The survey also raises questions about the presence and accessibility of qualified pharmacists at retail counters.

Only 31% of consumers said a qualified pharmacist assisted them most of the time or always when they needed help with a medicine or disease-related query.

Meanwhile, 13% said the person assisting them was not a qualified pharmacist.

THE HOME DELIVERY LOOPHOLE

The compliance issue extends beyond physical counters.

Among consumers who received medicines through home delivery, 41% said a prescription was never or rarely requested.

The survey found that 28% were never asked for a prescription and another 13% were rarely asked.

WHERE IS THE GST BILL?

The survey also highlighted gaps in documentation.

While 70% said they received a printed GST bill or invoice and 3% received a manually generated GST bill, 26% said they were not provided a GST bill.

This includes consumers who received only handwritten slips, medicine envelopes, payment details over WhatsApp or phone, or no bill at all.

A proper invoice can be important for tracing the seller, batch and expiry details if a medicine is defective, expired or suspected to be counterfeit.

FAKE MEDICINES - THE BIG CONCERN

15% said they had bought medicines that were later found to be fake or counterfeit.

Another 15% said they had received medicines that were not confirmed to be counterfeit but were completely ineffective.

The findings come amid ongoing enforcement action against spurious and counterfeit medicines in several states.

Government proposes CCTV surveillance

The draft notification issued by the Union Health Ministry proposes that the supply, other than wholesale, of any drug sold on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner should take place under a CCTV surveillance system installed and maintained at the premises.

The government says the proposal is aimed at strengthening oversight of prescription medicines and improving transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

The draft is currently open to objections and suggestions before it is finalised.

The bigger question: will CCTV be enough?

The LocalCircles survey points to several compliance gaps at the retail level - from prescription checks and pharmacist supervision to billing and medicine authenticity.

The proposed CCTV system could create a record of transactions, but the broader challenge remains enforcement of existing requirements at medical stores.

The survey found that 86% of consumers primarily depend on local chemists, either by visiting them directly or ordering medicines from them for home delivery.



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