Pharmacies to install CCTV systems under new drug rules

Authorities plan to mandate CCTV cameras in medical shops to curb drug misuse among minors. Backed by key agencies, the move includes strict hardware standards, but chemists have raised concerns over surveillance access and increased compliance costs.

Hyderabad: To strengthen and regulate the process of sale of medicines, in the coming days, the regulatory authorities are expected to make it mandatory for all medical shops to install CCTV cameras within their premises. The move is part of a regulatory overhaul aimed at curbing the misuse of habit-forming drugs, especially among teenagers and underage children.

A few days ago, in a meeting between top drug regulators from the country, the authorities moved to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, making it mandatory for all medical stores to have CCTV cameras. Till now, installing CCTV cameras was a voluntary measure, and it was left to the owners of medical shops. However, now, installing CCTVs has become a legal requirement for all retail pharmacies.

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The amendment of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act is a joint effort by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Narcotics Control Bureau to address the alarming rise in the unregulated sale of dual-use medications to minors.

Regulators are specifically targeting the sale of Schedule H, H1, and X drugs, which include potent antibiotics, psychotropic substances, and narcotics that are often diverted for addiction.

Under the new rules, cameras must be strategically positioned not just to monitor the store’s front portion, but also to provide a clear view of the exchange where the pharmacist verifies the prescription and hands over the medication to the consumer.

Moreover, the Drug Control Administration has the power to take action in the form of levying penalties on medical shops that procure cheap, unbranded cameras just to show compliance.

On April 1, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued specific guidelines to all the medical shops on the hardware aspect of the cameras and said the surveillance equipment should be ER-01 compliant, meaning cameras must meet high cybersecurity and quality standards set by Bureau of Indian Standards.

The decision has not gone down well with associations representing pharmacists. They have raised concerns regarding who will have the authority to oversee the video feeds and also the additional costs that the local chemists have to incur to procure proper certified CCTV cameras.