Guwahati: Counterfeit drugs and illegal pharmacies are flooding Assam. The Registered Pharmacists’ Association of Assam wants immediate action. They are demanding that the state government ramp up enforcement and rewrite the rulebook to keep patients safe.
Safiur Rahman Khan, an adviser for the association, flagged a dangerous trend. Pharmacies are popping up everywhere without oversight. Many of these shops are run by people with zero qualifications. The Health Department recently started raiding these operations, but Khan argues that the current effort is not enough. He wants the state to hit lawbreakers with heavier penalties.
The association is pushing for specific administrative changes to tighten the net. They want more drug inspectors assigned to the Nagaon district to boost on-the-ground monitoring. Khan also wants the state to create and fill new roles for dedicated pharmacy inspectors across the region.
Khan issued a clear warning to state officials regarding the public health threat. “The government must take stronger and more effective measures to stop the spread of counterfeit medicines and illegal pharmacies and ensure that medicines reaching patients are safe,” Khan said. He believes that if the current laws are too weak, the government must move to amend them immediately to deter future offenders.
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