Hyderabad: Nearly 70 per cent of pharmacies in Hyderabad have unregistered staff selling medicines, a report by the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has revealed.
This is a significant matter amid concerns about increased over-the-counter (OTC) sale of prescription medicines, including antibiotics, analgesics, antidiabetic and antihypertensive drugs.
According to a report by The Times of India, TG SAFE officials expressed concerns that having unregistered staff at pharmacies could expose patients to medication errors, drug interactions and other serious health risks. Under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, no one other than a registered pharmacist can compound, prepare, mix or dispense medicines on a doctor’s prescription.
“In many pharmacies, customers come asking for medicines by name and expect them to be given immediately. The pharmacist’s role is not just to hand over a strip,” a TG SAFE official was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
The official explained that pharmacists must check the prescription, dosage, possible interactions and explain how the medicine should be taken.
He said that if an untrained person does it, even a small mistake can affect the patient.
Hence, all pharmacies need to have a qualified and registered pharmacist present while the pharmacies are operational.
