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COVID-19 lockdown: Health Ministry allows doorstep delivery of essential medicines

Last Updated 26 March 2020, 14:22 IST

The Centre on Thursday permitted doorstep delivery of medicine by persons holding a licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 during the three-week lockdown to combat COVID-19.

According to the rules drugs specified in Schedule H (prescription drugs) except narcotics, psychotropics and controlled substances as defined in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (61 of 1985) can be home delivered.

“The Central government is satisfied that retail sale of drugs to the doorstep of consumers is essential to meet the requirements of the emergency arising due to pandemic COVID-19 and in the public interest, it is necessary and expedient to regulate the sale and distribution of drugs for their delivery to the consumers,” said an order issued by the health minister.

The doorstep delivery is subject to the condition that any such sale of a drug specified in Schedule H shall be based on receipt of prescription physically or through e-mail and such sale of drugs shall further be subject to stringent control measures.

“The licencee shall submit an e-mail ID for registration with the licensing authority if prescriptions are to be received through email. The drugs shall be supplied at the doorstep of the patients located within the same revenue district where the licensee is located,” it said.

“In case of chronic diseases, the prescription shall be dispensed only if it is presented to the licensee within 30 days of its issue and in acute cases, the prescription shall be dispensed only if it is presented to the licensee within seven days of its issue,” the Order said.

The bill or cash memo shall be sent by the return email and records of all such transactions shall be maintained, it added.

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(Published 26 March 2020, 14:03 IST)

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