Kohima: The All Nagaland Pharmacy Association (ANPA), formed on March 13, 2025, in response to the Health & Family Welfare Department’s directive requiring all pharmacies to appoint registered pharmacists, voiced its concern over the impracticality of implementing the policy in the current state of healthcare infrastructure in Nagaland.
Addressing a press conference on Friday at Crescent International Hotel, Kohima, ANPA general secretary Limayanger Jamir appealed to the state government for a pragmatic approach to the enforcement of its pharmacy regulation policy.
He informed that Nagaland remains the only state in India without a pharmacy institute, resulting in an acute shortage of qualified pharmacists. According to data provided by the department in February 2025, he said that there are 1,157 pharmacies in the state but only 278 registered pharmacists, a the ANPA termed as “quite disproportionate.”
“ANPA after thorough analysis of the ground reality is of the view that if the government is to implement this policy in its entirety, it will put the public health sector in complete disarray,” Jamir said, projecting that even Kohima, the state’s capital, would see colonies like A.G, Merhülietsa, and Lerie left without a single pharmacy if the policy is enforced without flexibility.
He also informed that rural and sub-divisional areas, particularly districts like Meluri which has six pharmacies, Shamator with four pharmacies, and Phek with 34 pharmacies (two in-service pharmacists), would face even starker realities, with most locations having no registered pharmacists at all.
Due to the shortage of pharmacists, pharmacies are unable to recruit qualified personnel. He therefore appealed to the government to engage with stakeholders in order to find a solution that would allow for a smooth transition, without immediately cancelling licenses.
Jamir said that according to the Controlling and Licensing Authority, Nagaland is the first state in the country trying to implement the policy. He also pointed out that the annual study quota for pharmacists is limited to just five seats and proposed the establishment of pharmacy institutes in the state that can provided courses, including degree and diploma.
He pointed out that pharmacy licenses have traditionally been issued by the Health Department, which provided the names of registered pharmacists along with their registration numbers to the licensees, with renewal fees collected every five years.
This process continued till the earlier part of 2024, he said.
However, it was in late 2021 when the Department began ordering pharmacies to ensure the presence of registered pharmacists on their premises.
This led to the formation of district-level pharmacy unions and eventually the state-level ANPA to collectively address the challenges posed by the new directive.
When the licenses were issued by the department, he said the license holders were unaware of the legal requirements at the time. According to him, pharmacy licenses were granted to individuals after they submitted the necessary applications and documents. He pointed out that most of these individuals relied on their experience with medical professionals.
“ANPA, as a first step, approached the department and submitted a representation 1o the Principal Director and the controlling and licensing authority praying for a reasonable extension of time but the response was negative,” Jamir said.
Another representation was submitted to the commissioner and Secretary H&FW but to no avail. A representation was also submitted to the Chief Minister of Nagaland and a response is awaited. He informed that attempts to meet the health minister and Chief Secretary have been made.
He expressed concern that enforcing the policy in its current form would lead to chaos in the public health sector. Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, he reminded the public and authorities of the crucial role played by pharmacies when government systems were overwhelmed.
Jamir also pointed out that government health units often rely on nurses with just three months of training to dispense medicines. “Our government is unable even to appoint qualified pharmacists in all the Government run health units. To solve the problem, what the department does is to impart a 3-month training to the nurses and now the nurses are dispensing medicines to the patients. Should the same yardstick not be applied to both the pharmacies as well as the Government run public health units?” he questioned.
ANPA President Zhapuvilie Yashu informed that the association had also filed RTIs with the department on May 1, seeking responses to their queries, but received no reply. He alleged that a department official had verbally communicated that even pharmacists from outside the state, despite holding No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from their respective states, were not being permitted by the department.
He added that pharmacy is an ethical profession, and the license cancellations have displaced thousands of families.
Yashu clarified that the ANPA is not against the policy or the Health Department but believes the state lacks the infrastructure to enforce the regulation effectively.
“We are hopeful that the department would come up with some workable arrangements till such time our state will have pharmacy institutes and sufficient qualified manpower to provide healthcare to operate our pharmacies to provide healthcare to the general public unhindered,” he said.
He also appealed to the department and the state government to allow pharmacies to continue operating until a concrete health policy, relevant to the state’s needs, is formulated.
He assured that the ANPA members are committed to employing qualified pharmacists as and when they become available, and urged the state to consider alternative measures until sufficient trained personnel can be produced within Nagaland itself.
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