The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has left medicine-shop owners paralysed and patients helpless.

Medicine-shop owners on Thursday said their business was hit as people had higher denomination and they had to refuse because of shortage of lower denomination notes.

Patients, on the other hand, said the shops were making money out of the situation as they were asking customers to buy medicines in bulk.

According to residents, pharmacists were accepting notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 only if one bought medicines in large amounts.

Vibhuti Sharan, a resident of Patel Nagar, went to buy a few medicines for his ailing mother at a shop in Govind Mitra Road but they refused to give them as he was offering a Rs 500 note for a bill of Rs 210.

"The staff at first refused to accept the Rs 500 note, but then told me to buy medicines of the whole amount. The guy at the shop said he did not have too many lower denomination notes. Why would I buy medicines in bulk if I don't need them? I am going to other medicine shops because I have only one Rs 500 note and a Rs 50 note," said Vibhuti.

Vinhuti had gone to a bank in the morning with the Rs 500 note to exchange it but the rush there turned him off.

Sunil Kumar, the owner of Navrup Medico near the planetarium, said his shop has been accepting the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes since Wednesday.

"We accepted Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on Thursday as well. But we have a shortage of lesser denomination notes, so we are asking customers to take medicines in bulk. It is impossible for us to give change to every person who comes with Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes," said Sunil.

Santosh Kumar, general secretary of Patna Druggists and Chemists Association, said 80 per cent of the wholesale business of medicines was hit because of the demonetisation. "Daily business is around Rs 4-5 crore in the wholesale drug market, but only 20 per cent business was carried out on Thursday."