Protesting against the online sale of medical drugs, the medicine traders across the country have declared a shutdown of their shops on Tuesday.

Nearly 8.5 lakh private medicine shops across the country will remain closed as the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) calls for a nationwide protest against the e-pharmacy regulations that the Central government is deliberating upon in support of online sale of drugs, reported The Indian Express.

According to the The Times of India, the retailers will be on strike for one day and also hold a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar.

The chemists are also protesting against the sale of central health and family welfare ministry medicines via e-portals.

AIOCD president Jagannath Shinde said the association the proposal of e-portal will lead to scarcity of medicines in the country.

The AIOCD is worried that this will the move would hit the profit margins with stiff competition from e-portals. The newspaper reported that the last few years, several e-pharmacy websites have come up that also offer extra discounts over online purchases.

According to the Indian Internet Pharmacy Association (IIPA), an umbrella body for e-pharma portals, said e-pharmacy would enable transparent drug dispensing mechanism and give high accountability as the entire procedure will be tracked.

There have been a slew of protests against the online sale of medicines. Last year too, more than 40,000 medicine shops in Bihar shut shop on April 12. A similar all-India pharmacy strike was held on November 23, reported Deccan Chronicle.

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