PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Authorities sealed three chemist shops in Dehradun on Tuesday following multiple violations of drug safety regulations. The action was taken as part of the Safe Drugs: Safe Life campaign under the direction of the Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority (USLSA) and Dehradun district judge and chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Prem Singh Khimal.
A joint inspection was conducted on Tuesday led by the DLSA secretary Seema Dungarakoti in association with the officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Shimla Bypass road area. The teams inspected licenses, pharmacist availability, cold storage conditions, expired medicines, disposal methods and compliance with narcotic drug regulations.
The officials said that at Chauhan Clinic in Mehuwala, both the owner and pharmacist were absent. A person lacking medical knowledge was reportedly found managing the store. The refrigerator was off but contained medicines and several expired drugs were discovered. The premises were unhygienic. Authorities sealed the store and began license cancellation proceedings. They stated that Sai Medical Store in Arcadia Grant had a pharmacist present but the refrigerator lacked a temperature display. The pharmacist failed to answer questions about medicine storage and disposal procedures. Officials closed the store and issued instructions for a written explanation.
According to the officials, Dimri Medical Store also faced closure after inspectors found the pharmacist present but the refrigerator in poor condition. It reportedly lacked a temperature display and rabies vaccines were stored inside. The team seized the expired medicines and directed to order a new refrigerator, as per the officials.
Other inspected stores, including MD Medicos and Durga Shakti Medical Store, were issued warnings and specific instructions for compliance. In some cases, pharmacists were found absent or safety procedures were lacking. The officials said that the inspections aimed to ensure safe storage and sale of medicines and to prevent public health risks from non-compliant chemist shops.
