Jammu Pharmaceutical distributors oppose opening of big multi-brand chain stores in J&K

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: President of The Jammu Pharmaceutical Distributors Association (JPDA) Jammu Province, Rakesh Gupta, expressed concern over the opening up of medical stores by multi brand chains in Jammu region.
Setting the alarm bells ringing, Gupta said, “These multi brand medical stores will gobble business of small stockists, chemists and pharmacists in Jammu region, thus making their survival difficult.”
While addressing press conference here on Friday, Rakesh Gupta, claimed that with the coming up of these big giants, more than 10 lakh people associated with pharma business across India will lose their jobs and will be on streets.
Gupta asked traders and industrialists to wake up from deep slumber and do something to counter this storm, before it wipes them out.
Rakesh Gupta appealed Traders and Industrialists here to pull their socks to take counter measures to deal with this threat staring towards them.
Giving details about big brand medical outlets that have opened so far in Jammu region, Rakesh Gupta, said Bharti Best Price (Walmart) now called Flipkart opened in Jammu way back in 2011 and Reliance Retail Ltd opened here in 2021.
“With the opening of many more such multi brand stores in Jammu, our survival in market will get difficult. Local Traders and Industrialists will have a real tough time to cope with price war that has started. Ultimately they will crumble under pressure and will be left with no option but to down their shutters,” Gupta added.
Giving the details of the quantum of funding available with multi brand chains to negotiate their sourcing prices, Rakesh Gupta, questioned the GOI for not keeping their interest in mind.
“How GOI expects the wholesalers and retailers with a fixed profit margin of 8-10% and 16-20% respectively sat by NPPA as per the DPCO to compete with the big bulls in price war?” Gupta asked.
Gupta lashed out at govt for turning blind eye to violation of norms by Jan Aushadi Kendra stores opened inside various hospitals by selling generic medicines with Discount Advertisements in their Premises.
He said this was total violation of law and in contravention of Section 18(a) (iv) (vi) and Section 18 (c) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
He further said that if the Government was really honest in providing affordable branded generic medicines to the patients, then the private sector be allowed too and given spaces besides their stores in hospitals. “And we vow to sell medicines on much cheaper rates than these government stores,” assured Gupta.
He said that our demand to reduce MRP’s further allowing to us our legitimate profit margins have fallen flat on deaf ears on the concerned departments of GOI, said Gupta.
He insisted that if corrective steps are not taken seriously and urgently than approximately 10 Lakh pharma wholesalers & retailers will be unemployed soon.
Gupta further said that they at association level are taking immediate corrective and precautionary measures like Financial Year Closing much before March next year and Calling a meeting of all the District Presidents from Retail Sector after consulting their members.
He appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, to assign task to someone from the UT Administration to convene an urgent meeting of all the stake holders from trade and industry and guide them how to survive under such unfavourable circumstances.
Rakesh Gupta also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India to once again review the Government’s policy and direct the concerned departments to work on reducing MRP’s further / Ensure One Sourcing Price Policy and then allow Medical Stores of Multi Brand Chain so that they don’t lure with heavy discounts in the field of health care.
He also said that the rising cases of entry of spurious and sub standard medicines is the result of unfair practises and different pricing being allowed by the concerned departments of GOI which shall not be anyone’s interest keeping in view the plight of suffering humanity.
Also present on the occasion were Ajay Gupta- Sr. Vice President, Sudesh Gupta- Vice President, Sanjay Gupta- Gen Secretary, Amit Sharma-Jt Secretary, Manmeet Singh Treasurer of The Jammu Pharmaceutical Distributors Association Jammu Province.