New Delhi: Expressing serious concern over the recent partnership between Swiggy Instamart and PharmEasy to deliver medicines in 10 minutes through dark stores, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) wrote a letter to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) stating that this move goes against the standards set under Indian law and can lead to many serious health and safety related threats.
“We express deep concern over the potential partnership between Swiggy Instamart and PharmEasy. The 12.40 lakh members of AIOCD, committed to maintaining the quality of medicine distribution and healthcare across the country, have recently written a letter to DCGI over the alleged partnership between Swiggy Instamart and PharmEasy to deliver medicines in 10 minutes through dark stores. This partnership can lead to many serious health and safety threats,” said AIOCD general secretary Rajiv Singhal to ETV Bharat.
“A dark store is a warehouse or retail outlet that is used exclusively for online shopping and does not have a storefront for customers. Dark stores are used to fulfil online orders by picking, packing and shipping items directly to customers or a collection point,” he said.
AIOCD believes that such partnerships are a matter of concern not only legally, but also from the point of view of public health and safety. “We urge the Government to review these issues thoroughly and take all necessary steps so that the citizens of the country can receive safe and reliable healthcare services,” said Singhal.
According to the AIOCD, the partnership between Swiggy Instamart and PharmEasy leads to regulatory violation and legal compliance, a high risk of anti-microbial resistance (AMR), besides compromising quality control and patient safety.
“Despite the efforts being made by the government to tackle the threat of AMR, the unregulated operation of e-pharmacies is feared to further increase this problem. Such partnerships undermine the efforts to fight AMR,” said Singhal.
The ultra-fast delivery model may increase the possibility of expired or counterfeit medicines, which is harmful to patient safety. “In such a model, it is not possible to follow the required quality standards,” he claimed.
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