Hawkers sell meds without prescription in Garo Hills: NGO presses alarm bell

During the visit to the Garobadha weekly market, DINDAM members were shocked to see hawkers selling allopathic medicines

The Durama Imbama Norimbi Dikkimbi A’chik Magiparang (DINDAM), an NGO has raised serious questions on the role of the Garo Hill Autonomous District Council (GHADC) over the unabated sale of medicines without prescriptions in the local markets especially the weekly market in Garobadha.

Founding member of DINDAM, Jaynie Sangma discussed at length about the issue and decried the role of the GHADC. Sangma informed that she and other members of DINDAM had visited the Garobadha weekly market after she received an anonymous call from a lady.

Jaynie Sangma stated that the lady had informed her about the sale of medicine in the weekly markets by persons whom she believed to have come from Assam.

During the visit to the Garobadha weekly market, the DINDAM members found that whatever the lady had informed was true. They were shocked to see hawkers selling allopathic medicines to people. What was even more shocking is that in the same market, there were not one but at least three such hawkers selling medicines in the Garobadha market.

Jaynie Sangma said, “We found that many hawkers from Assam’s Mankachar area are selling allopathic medicines openly in the market. We asked them from where do you have brought these medicines and who have given you the authority to sell these medicines.”

“When we asked for necessary papers, they said they left it at home and they have given it for renewal. When you asked them if they had any medical background, they replied no,” Jaynie Sangma added.

The NGO founding member said that upon verification of some of the documents of the hawkers, the DINDAM members found that licences were given to the hawkers by the GHADC. Jaynie said the papers were very old, licences from 2016, 2017, some are from 2018 and some of them even got renewed last year. She said that the renewal was done in teh taxation dept of the GHADC.

Expressing her serious question, Jaynie Sangma questioned the role of GHADC and said,”It is very surprising and quite questionable as to how can GHADC issue or give an authority to these hawkers to sell medicines in the market. How can they issue Non-tribal licence for selling medicines in the weekly markets.

This is a question to be asked and raised by the people and the authorities as well.”

The NGO member also urged the authorities to look into the issue seriously stating that drug traffickers might be linked to such hawkers selling allopathic medicines.

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