Your Rights at the Medical Store

This four-page pamphlet provides crucial information on a customer’s rights at a medical store. It outlines ways to identify licenced stores and pharmacists, one’s responsibilities while visiting them and redressal mechanisms in case of complaints. The pamphlet was curated and brought out in 2021 by public health researchers Sunil Nandraj and Pranay Lal; pharmacists Raj Vaidya and Guru Prasad Mohanta; former Deputy Drugs Controllers (India) Malay Mitra and D. Roy; doctors Paul P. Francis, Kamala Rammohan and Tarun Seem; dentist Sonali Randhawa; and Vasudev Devadasan, a lawyer. A ‘medical store’ is defined as a retail premise which sells medicines, drugs, and ‘ancillary’ medical services to the public, and is registered under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945. On the other hand, a ‘pharmacist’ is a trained professional registered with the State Pharmacy Council under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, who dispenses medicines and information regarding their proper use. The pamphlet notes that information regarding original licenses or registration certificates issued to stores and pharmacists can be found on the websites of state drugs control department or council...