PANAJI
Until yesterday, catching a cold meant a quick walk to the local chemist and grabbing a bottle of 'Benadryl' or any of the many cough syrups on the shelf. A few days later, you’d be fine. That easy fix is now gone.
The Centre has banned over the counter sales of cough syrups, tweaking the Drugs Rules, 1945, to make them prescription only.
For households, this means extra hassle and added costs.
One such person is Ramesh Naik, a taxi driver from Panaji. “Earlier I could just walk in and buy a cough syrup in minutes. Now I’ll waste half a day getting a prescription and paying more for the doctor’s fee for a simple common cold,” he said.
Sunita Rivonkar, a homemaker in Merces, admitted it’s inconvenient but felt the move was necessary.
“Some syrups have alcohol. Misuse is common. The ban will weed out shady products,” she said.
The government says the ban brings India in line with stricter global rules on controlled substances. But in a country this size, it could overload already stretched health centres and outpatient departments in government and private hospitals may see long queues, and consultation fees will pinch family budgets.
FDA officials explained the reasoning: misuse and fake syrups flooding the market.
“Many syrups contain codeine or sedatives. They’re addictive. Restricting sales ensures they’re used only under medical supervision,” said a senior FDA official.
Doctors on the other hand are split in their opinions on the move. Some back the ban, pointing to widespread abuse among youngsters.
“Prescription only sales will cut that risk,” said Dr Mahesh but in the same breath he warned of the fallout where patients could crowd health centres for simple coughs and stress and already burdened primary healthcare system.
"In rural areas, this could overwhelm primary care,” Dr Mahesh said.
On paper, the ban is clear, but in practice, it will depend on enforcement.
The FDA has drawn up a plan: random pharmacy checks, digital prescription records, fines and license suspensions for violators.
Awareness drives will also be rolled out to inform the public, said the FDA official.
The government’s move is a tightrope walk -- cracking down on misuse while making everyday remedies harder to access.
But for millions used to picking up a syrup off the shelf, it’s now an extra burden and cost with visits to doctors taking up time, many are loath to foresake.
