CCTV at medical stores: Why govt wants them, but chemists don’t, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• The Union Health Ministry has proposed mandatory CCTV surveillance at medical stores to curb the abuse of prescription drugs.
• The draft notification mandates maintaining recordings for three months to ensure stricter control over habit-forming drugs.
• This measure primarily targets Schedule H, H1, and X drugs, which include strong antibiotics and psychotropic substances.
• The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists has objected, citing financial burden, technical issues in rural areas, and patient privacy concerns.

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Detailed Insights:

• The proposal aims to prevent unauthorized access and sale of prescription medicines, especially to minors without a valid prescription.
• The measure was initially proposed in 2021 to address drug abuse among children.
• The Drugs Consultative Committee and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation decided to implement this plan earlier this year.
• An AIIMS 2019 study indicated that opioid use affects 1.8% of children, while cannabis use affects 1.9% of children.
• The study also highlighted that 25 lakh out of 2.3 crore opioid users in India are dependent on pharmaceutical opioids.
• Chemists argue that the cost of installing and maintaining CCTV systems would be prohibitive for smaller stores.
• Concerns were also raised about power failures and internet connectivity issues, particularly in rural regions, affecting continuous surveillance.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Schedule H Drugs: Prescription drugs that require a registered medical practitioner's prescription for sale.
• Schedule H1 Drugs: A sub-category of Schedule H drugs with stricter regulations, often including habit-forming or psychotropic substances.
• Schedule X Drugs: Highly habit-forming and psychotropic substances with very stringent regulations on their sale and distribution.
• Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945: The primary legislation governing the manufacture, sale, and distribution of drugs and cosmetics in India.