Kohima: In a coordinated crackdown on regulatory violations, the licences of 15 pharmacies in Niuland district have been cancelled for failing to comply with provisions under the Drugs & Cosmetic Act, 1940 and Rules 1945.
The enforcement drive was jointly carried out on July 1 by the Niuland District Administration, Police Department, and the Chief Medical Office, Dimapur. The operation was led by Assistant Drugs Controller Martemjen Longkumer and Drugs Control Officer (DCO) Boto Sema.
According to an official order issued by the State Drugs Control Administration, Kohima, the licences were cancelled after the pharmacies failed to respond to show cause notices. The action was taken under Rule 65(2) of the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 and Section 42 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.
Recently, 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.
ANPA argued 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, it was informed that there are 1,157 pharmacies in the state but only 278 registered pharmacists, the ANPA termed as “quite disproportionate.”
ANPA after thorough analysis of the ground reality shared the view that if the government is to implement this policy in its entirety, it will put the public health sector in complete disarray.
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