Hyderabad: Pharmacies don't give a hoot to Covid norms

Hyderabad: Despite the reports of possibility of second wave of Coronavirus due to the cold weather during winter, pharmacies in the city are seldom seen following the precautionary guidelines. With the unlock process bringing normalcy steadily, the chemist shops are seen with customers crowding without following social distancing against the guidelines issued to curtail the spread of contagion.

It must be noted that some of the first victims at the beginning of the pandemic were from the staff of medical shop owners. "The staff at the chemist are rarely seen adhering to measures like wearing masks or social distancing. Recently a man of around 35 years, who was running a medical store near Shaikpet died suddenly after reaching his house. Later authorities also confirmed," said Md, Tajuddin, a resident of Tolichowki.

According to the guidelines, it is mandatory to display a notice at the entrance of medical shop asking the customers to practice certain precautions before entering the premises. This includes disinfection of hands, maintaining a distance of 1 – 2 meters, refrain from shaking hands and close contacts and prepare the prescriptions in advance to get the medicine at the earliest.

As the medical shops in affected and unaffected areas are the primary point of contact for the customers and patients, the rule book explicitly suggests the pharmacy staff to wear face masks to protect themselves from Corona infection. When contacted the officials said that they were holding inspections frequently to ensure that pharmacies adhere to the guidelines rolled out after the outbreak of the pandemic.

"We are regularly holding inspections to ensure the pharmacists follow Covid guidelines while dealing with the customers and patients. Already certain guidelines have been issued to help the pharmacists to deal with the situation more effectively. They should follow the guidelines to avoid any unwanted incident in order to arrest the spread of the contagion," said Drug Inspector of Drugs Control Administration Raju Laxamalla.