Two hundreds of drug stores, popularly known as pharmacies, have been running their business, in almost every corner of Sylhet city and district without license, flouting regulations of the drug administration.
Besides, the owners of these medicine shops have been selling low quality, banned, contraband and date-expired medicines under the nose of the law enforcing agencies, endangering the life of the people. It is alleged that the Drug Control Department, Sylhet has taken no action against the ‘dishonest’ traders.
Sources said that the owners of unlicensed drug stores have been making windfall profits by selling sub-standard medicines, especially vitamins, enzymes and life saving drugs of the non-marketable companies. According to existing regulations, a drug store must secure a license from the drug administration in order to run a business and employ a pharmacist with least a category ‘C’ listing.
Bangladesh Chemist and Druggist Samity (BCDS), on approval from the Bangladesh Pharmacy Council (BPC), offers a three-month basic course for Category ‘C’ pharmacists where they are taught the basics of drug science. The aspirants must at least have a secondary education degree and the course fee is Tk 2,760.
Preferring to be unnamed, the owners of a number of drug stores in the city told that they could not legally do business with proper documents even if they wanted getting a license from the Director General of Drug Administration (DGDA), Dhaka was really hard. They alleged that some of the DGDA officials demand healthy bribes for issuing the licenses.
A drug store owner in the city’s Rikabibazar area told that despite having successfully completed the training and submitting all the necessary documents for becoming a category C pharmacist two years ago, he was yet to get his hands on the certificate.
Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Md Shohidul Islam said that the regional drug office is responsible to look after the matter. But for public interest he will look after the matter. Assistant director of Drug Administration, Sylhet said, ‘We cannot launch random mobile court drives against these unlicensed drug stores due to lack of necessary magistrates in the administration concerned. The magistrates are often tied up with routine duties which make them unavailable for mobile court.’ He, however, said despite the shortage, they are trying their best to regularly conduct drives against illegal drug trading in the division and save people from their grip.’
Chairperson of Nagorik Forum, Sylhet Masud Khan alleged that many medicine companies have been marketing sub-standard medicines without obtaining certificates and they have been doing it with roaring publicity.
A section of physicians are also patronising the manufactures of these products by prescribing the same medicines to the patients in exchange for lucrative gifts and financial benefits. As a result, the innocent village patients, especially the poor, are becoming victims of the adverse effects of these medicines.
President of Conscious Citizen Committee (CCC), Sylhet unit said that most of the owners of the unlicensed drug stores are allegedly paying some officials on monthly basis to carry on their business. Date-expired medicines are being sold after changing or covering up the original expiry dates on the packets.
The sub-standard medicines have no therapeutic value. After consumption of these medicines, many patients fall sick. The side effects of these medicines can be extremely harmful, physicians said.
