Surprise checks on 22 medical shops

Vijayawada: Officials of vigilance and enforcement department officials, along with the drug control administration officials, conducted surprise checks on 22 medical shops in the city on Thursday and noticed that 11 shops have no qualified pharmacists and four shops were selling drugs with expiry dates.

Some traders appointed unqualified salesmen in the shops for the sale of drugs, which is against the rules of Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Vigilance and enforcement department DSP R Vijay Paul said that 10 teams comprising officials belonging to the vigilance and enforcement department and drug control administration conducted surprise checks on the shops located on Nakkal Road and Karl Marx Road in the city and at Poranki on the outskirts of the city.

Officials noticed four shops were selling drugs with expiry dates and 11 shops appointed unqualified salesmen. He said that most of the shops were not maintaining sales registers properly. The officials served notices on the shopkeepers seeking explanation and asked them to reply in three days. After receiving the reply, action will be taken as per the law, said DSP Vijay Paul.

He said some traders are keeping the certificate of pharmacy course belonging to the person, who is not working in the shop. He should appoint qualified salesmen. Vigilance SP M Ravindranath, two circle inspectors and drug inspectors participated in the surprise checks.

The officials of drug control administration intensified raids in Vijayawada, Guntur and other parts of the state in recent months after finding sale of spurious drugs by traders in Vijayawada, Guntur, Narasaraopet, Kadapa and other parts of the state.