HC stay on vacating private medicine stores from public healthcare centres

Cuttack : The Orissa High Court on Tuesday ordered the state government to maintain status quo in the matter pertaining to vacating of private medicine stores operating in the premises of public health institutions.

The shop owners had filed writ appeals against the Single Judge’s April 19 order that had directed the eviction of on-campus medicine store from the premises of government-run healthcare facilities.

The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice MS Raman issued the status quo orders on Tuesday on pleas of 26 medicine shop owners.

The bench had earlier issued status quo on petitions of 33 medicine shop owners on May 9. The bench has posted the matter to July 3.

The Odisha government had asked to vacate private medicine stores operating in the premises of public health institutions across the state following the order of the Orissa High Court on April 19.

The health and family welfare department had asked authorities of MKCG Medical College and Hospital, VIMSAR, Burla and chief district medical officers of 24 districts to immediately issue vacation notices to the campus medicine stores after the High Court dismissed all the petitions of on-campus medicine store owners on April 19.

Only government-run Niramaya medicine counters will operate in hospital premises. The Niramaya stores are providing all types of medicines free of cost at government hospitals following which the state health and family welfare department had decided to vacate the private medicine stores.

Campus medicine store owners’ association had approached the Orissa High Court against the health department’s communication in this regard on February 27, 2015.

The communication had asked for no further extension of license of on-campus medicine stores or opening of new ones.