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Medicine traders threaten strike

Press for release of fellows, return of seized drugs

Staff Correspondent
Medicine traders have threatened to keep their shops shut throughout the country on Thursday if the government does not address their complaints regarding Saturday's drive against the sale of unauthorised medicines in the capital's Mitford.
Keeping their shops shut since Sunday, the medicine traders of Mitford, Babubazar and Islampur demanded the release of their fellow traders, reopening of the sealed shops, and the return of the medicines seized in the drive.
"All medicine shops across the country will remain closed from 6:00am to 10:00pm on Thursday if our demands are not met, and the complaints against the drive are addressed," said Sadequr Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Samity (BCDS), while addressing a scheduled protest rally in front of the BCDS Bhaban around 11:00am yesterday.
FROM PAGE 16 Protesters, however, opened their shops around 2:00pm, after the declaration.
ASM Monir Hossain, deputy secretary of the BCDS, said they would send a letter to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) with their complaints, including the illegal seizure of drugs, and illegal detention of their fellow traders.
He also complained that the magistrate of the mobile court had refused to look at invoices and documents of the imported items, and fined the wholesale shops for not recruiting pharmacists.
"If the government does not reach a solution regarding the issues through discussion by Thursday, we will continue with our programme, and
decide the next course of action," he said.
Meanwhile, at a press conference at the DGDA's office in Motijheel, Maj Gen Md Jahangir Hossain Mollik said the superintendent of drugs conducts drives at different pharmacies in the country, collects medicine samples, and sends those for testing.
"The mobile court drive is only a temporary measure to increase awareness on the use and sale of fake, counterfeit and illegal drugs," he said, adding that such drives would continue.
Regarding the allegations of the traders, Jahangir Hossain said pharmacies could not sell drugs without drug registration numbers.
Only 11 companies have permission to import surgical products, he
said, adding that other companies apart from these 11 were importing the items through illegal channels.
The drugstores in Mitford are required by law to recruit pharmacists as they have retail licences only, he added.
BCDS President Sadequr, however, said the country lacks pharmacists.
On Saturday, 94 people were arrested and 28 shops were sealed off on charges of selling fake and unauthorised medicines. Medicines worth Tk 5 crore were seized from about 500 shops and godowns at Mitford, the country's largest hub of wholesale medicines.
Of the 94 arrestees, 22 are still serving various terms in jail, whereas the remaining 72 were freed after realising fines from them.