Pharmacies are still the same as they was in the 1980s
India recently celebrated its 71st Independence Day in a grand manner. But, the pharmaceutical industry is yet to get its freedom, as it still follows the same Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, with some negligible modifications.
An industry with an annual revenue of more than 2.5 lakh crore (more than 1.3 lakh crore is exports) does not have a separate minister and comes under The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
The Indian pharmaceutical industry, which is the world’s 3rd largest in terms of volume and 14thin terms of value, does not even have the services of a separate ministry.
“Since the globalization, especially from 1990 to 2000, India witnessed a tangential development in all the sectors. Even when passenger cars have become globalized, the pharmacies are still the same as they were in the 1980s,” says Ramakrishnan, MD, Thulasi Pharmacies.
Pharmacies are not run the way they should be. Back in the 1990s, they were run like petty shops, where there would hardly be qualified pharmacists. Sale bills were not issued, drugs were given without the physicians’ prescriptions and the ambience used to be poor
“We wanted to break the mould by raising Indian pharmacies to global standards and that was the reason why we started Thulasi Pharmacies in 2001, with two partners, in Covai,” said Ramakrishnan.
Now, Thulasi Pharmacy has over 60 stores across Tamil Nadu, entirely managed by their own. “We never wanted to give franchise outlets to anyone, because it may result in dilution of the basic ethos, of the organization,” Ramakrishnan said. He began his career as a Medical Representative and then as pharmacy distributor and was forced to start Thulasi Pharmacies, having witnessed the unethical and unprofessional practices indulged in by pharmacies in India at that time.
In fact Thulasi Pharmacies is the first in the southern part of India to have a model that was designed exclusively conforming to the parameters of a pharmacyas early as in 2001.
The real success of Thulasi came from the ethical and organized form of business which makes it the most trustworthy pharmacy of the state, according to Mr. Ramakrishnan. Economic Times has awarded Thulasi with Economic Times Retailer Award, 2014 for “Excellence In Operational Efficiency”.
“We competed successfully with retailing giants like Pantaloons and Croma and our hard workover the years won us the real honor,”said Ramakrishnan with a smile.
According to him, “every pharmacy should appoint only a qualified pharmacist. Over the counter sale should be eradicated. Countries like Sri Lanka and Malaysia close their shops when a pharmacist is not available. Even in a poor country like Cambodia, which is below the poverty line, close their shops, when the pharmacist is not available,” Ramakrishnan said having witnessed the pharmacy activities during one of his visits to Cambodia.
“Most of the medicines have to be stored below 25°C. Though, it is mandatory to have air condition facilities, how many pharmacies follow it?” questions Ramakrishnan.
“Violation of the law is a curse for our country, which has now resulted in multi-drug resistant problem,” he said. “Selling of anti-biotic drugs over the counter (OTC) without prescription and the improper way of drug intake has ended up in such disease,” he added.
He also made a shocking statement that “Tuberculosis (TB) disease in India has now become resistant to most of the drugs that are sold in pharmacies.”Most of the anti TB drugs have completely lost their efficacy thanks to the practice of OTC sale for decades, according to him.
“This is why foreign lobbies warn their citizens against medical tourism to India.
Health in one of the essential needs of human life. But, in India which is going to become the youngest nation by 2020, health care is least bothered, which is very much evident in the way pharmaceutical industry is treated.
“We as a pharmacy do not focus on business alone. We care more for our customer and so we conduct a program “Know Your Medicine” to spread the awareness among people. It is the lack of awareness among the people that has made the sale of drugs and medicines so dangerous, I feel,” says Ramakrishnan.
Thulasi stands unique as it gives special training to their pharmacists on a regular basis and helps their customers clear their doubts. The pharmacy also has a separate space where they give directions on the way medicines have to be taken and inform consumers of the possible side effects of a medicine.
“We wanted Thulasi Pharmacy to be a role model and introduced many new things which raised the standard of pharmacies in this part of the country. Everybody wants others to be perfect but when it comes to their own case no one wants to be perfect. Be the change you want to see from others and the world will follow you”, said a determined Ramakrishnan.
– Tamil Meganathan, Photo: Balaji Remy.