Amid an India-wide strike of more than 15 lakh chemists and druggists slated for May 20, the government today noted that access to medicines will remain unaffected in the country.“All pharmacy chains and hospital pharmacy stores, Jan Aushadhi stores, AMRIT Pharmacy stores will remain open tomorrow,” according to official sources from the Ministry of Health.These stores will remain open “in addition to the many state and chemist associations who have already pulled out from the strike,” the sources said.Retail pharmacy associations from at least 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, have formally distanced themselves from the strike call, citing “public interest”.What Is The Nationwide Chemists’ Strike About?Earlier this week, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) announced that more than 15 lakh chemists and druggists across the country will keep their medical stores shut on May 20 to protest against illegal online sale of medicines and “unprofessional competition” by corporate firms.The trade body flagged the sale of prescription drugs without proper verification and warned that AI-generated fake prescriptions may worsen the misuse of antibiotics.The nationwide strike also demands the withdrawal of notifications issued during the COVID-19 pandemic that allegedly enabled the misuse of online medicine sales, said AIOCD president and former MLC Jagannath Shinde during a press conference in Mumbai.Shinde noted that online sales had led to the circulation of fake drugs, antibiotics, and scheduled medicines without prescriptions, posing a serious threat to public health, particularly among the youth.Also read: ‘I Was Vocal About Cancer But Silent About Menopause Out Of Shame’, Says Actress Lisa Ray“The online sale of drugs has become hazardous for the nation and needs to be checked on priority. Moreover, deep discounts offered by online companies were proving to be a death knell for small chemists and retailers,” he alleged.During the COVID pandemic, the government had issued special exemptions to ensure home delivery of medicines. Shinde pointed out that those provisions are continuing even after the pandemic ended.Online companies were exploiting these relaxations and engaging in unfair competition through discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent, he added.CDSCO Reviewing Retail Pharmacy ConcernsRead More: No Ebola Case in India, Public Risk Low: Govt Steps Up Surveillance at Airports and SeaportsOfficial sources in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) reiterated that public health and patient access to medicines remain paramount.They noted that any disruption in the functioning of chemist shops has the potential to cause serious inconvenience to patients, particularly vulnerable groups dependent on regular access to life-saving and essential medicines, besides impacting critical medical supply chains.“Any disruption in the functioning of chemist shops has the potential to cause serious inconvenience to patients and impact critical medical supply chains,” a source said.They also added that constructive dialogue remains the preferred mechanism for addressing sectoral concerns while ensuring uninterrupted healthcare services for citizens across the country.