1 hr ago

Mumbai Survey Finds Widespread Gaps in Prescription Medicine Checks

A survey asked people in Mumbai about buying medicines.

Many people said chemists did not regularly ask for a doctor’s prescription.

Some people ordering medicines at home also said prescriptions were rarely checked.

Most respondents still bought medicines from local medical stores.

Only a small number always received help from a qualified pharmacist.

Some customers did not receive a proper bill.

A few people said they received medicines they thought were fake or ineffective.

The findings came as the government proposed using CCTV cameras to monitor medical stores more closely.

Key facts

Mumbai respondents: 20,498 consumers participated in the Mumbai portion of the survey.
Survey scope: The wider survey covered 1.06 lakh consumers across 327 districts.
Prescription refusal: 36% said chemists never refused non-prescription sales, while 35% said refusal happened rarely.
Home delivery: Among 3,697 respondents, 18% said prescriptions were never requested and 40% said they were rarely checked.
Purchase channels: 57% bought medicines from local medical stores, 26% used phone or WhatsApp orders, and 17% used e-pharmacy applications.
Pharmacist assistance: Among 3,012 respondents, 10% always received help from a qualified pharmacist and 21% were assisted by someone unqualified.
Billing: Among 3,122 respondents, 76% received printed GST bills, 8% received slips or paper, and 9% received no bill.
Medicine quality: Among 3,521 respondents, 2% reported receiving fake medicines several times, 4% once or twice, and 14% suspected medicines were fake or ineffective.

freepressjournal.in · 1 hr ago