Agartala: In a major development, the Tripura government has instructed pharmacies not to sell disposable syringes, especially those used for taking insulin doses, without a prescription.
The main objective is to regulate the sale of special syringes used by drug addicts for the consumption of intravenous drugs, a source in the state health department told EastMojo.
“As these syringes are available in the open market and there is no obligation attached to their selling like many medicinal products, drug addicts can procure it from any of the pharmacies. To avoid identification, they don’t take it from local pharmacies; instead, they buy these things from faraway places. The Pharmacy owners had also been directed not to entertain unidentified customers. If they have prescriptions, they are eligible,” the official added.
Tripura Chemist and Druggist Association, the biggest umbrella organisation of pharmacy owners, agreed with the government.
Speaking to EastMojo, Abhijit Saha, a pharmacy owner of Agartala city, said the demand for insulin syringes had increased. Instead of the elderly, who generally suffer from diabetes, young people began buying it.
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“The matter came to our notice when stocks that used to last for several weeks started to run out within a week. Later, we realised that these syringes were not for treatment purposes. I think the same pre-condition should be attached to all syringes. If the drug addicts replace the smaller syringes with bigger ones used for injecting medicines, the consequences would be catastrophic,” added Saha.
Sources said the government will soon convene a review meeting in the presence of the pharmacy owners to get a sense of the overall situation.
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