The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Police security for medical shops

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Police security for medical shops

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, APRIL 5. The city police would provide protection to any medical shop to prevent attempts to close them down forcibly, the city Additional Commissioner of Police, A.K. Khan, said here on Tuesday.

Zonal Deputy Commissioners were also asked to step up patrolling in areas where medical shops are located and take into custody anyone trying to forcibly close them down.

These instructions were issued on Tuesday after the Government invoked provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against chemists and druggists who are on strike for the last five days. Police pickets would also be posted at hospitals which run medical shops on their premises, Mr. Khan said.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Andhra Pradesh Consumers' Organisation appealed to members of the Andhra Pradesh Chemists and Druggists' Association to call off their bandh in the interests of consumers and patients.

The APCC Doctors' Cell today blamed the "callous" attitude of State bureaucrats and Ministers for the hardships facing patients following the indefinite bandh. Patients of diabetes and hypertension were unable to get emergency medicines, said D. Shankar, chairman of the cell.

Control room set up

A Central control room has been opened in the office of the Director General, Drug Control Administration with telephone numbers 23818502, 23713563 to attend to any queries and request for medicines, according to an official press note issued today.

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