Future of Retail Pharmacy Public Health, Trade Ethics and the All India Strike

The recent All India Chemist Strike raised an important question before the pharmaceutical fraternity: Who was truly successful?

- Shri. B. Thirunavukkarasu

Those who closed their shutters? Or those who kept them open? Interestingly, both sides claimed complete success.

But beyond the visible narratives, another reality silently surfaced — internal divisions, ideological differences, and wounded egos within the trade itself. In many ways, the emotional conflict had begun long before the actual strike day. What unfolded publicly was not merely a bandh; it was the reflection of accumulated dissatisfaction, distrust, and fragmented thinking within the retail pharmacy ecosystem.

Even the media attempted to communicate the issue to the public. However, the core message failed to reach society with clarity because the trade itself spoke in multiple voices — multiple associations, multiple ideologies, and multiple interpretations.

At the same time, one important development became clearly visible. Earlier, the trade strongly projected the phrase ‘‘unregulated online sale of medicines.’’ Today, the terminology itself has gradually transformed into the more organized and publicly acceptable term — ‘‘E-Pharmacies.’’