Bhubaneswar: The state government will shortly launch an awareness campaign, urging people not to buy medicines from any retail counter without valid prescriptions.

Based on reports of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, health secretary P.K. Meherda has asked the state drugs controller to take steps for curbing wrong practices of dispensing medicines without a prescription.

In a letter to the drugs controller, Meherda asked his office to issue stern warnings to all pharmacies, medicine shops, chemists and druggists to strictly adhere to the relevant provisions of the Drugs and Chemists Act and Rules and allow sale of "prescription only medicines".

The state government asked to take punitive action against those, who fail to comply with the direction.

The health secretary also asked to form district-level squads under the state drugs control administration to ensure strict monitoring the sale of medicines with prescriptions only.

Drugs controller Hrushikesh Mahapatra told The Telegraph: "We will issue directions to all the chemists across the state on the dangers of giving medicines without a valid prescription on Monday. We will also alert our district units to this effect."

Mahapatra said: "The department will also launch a statewide drive to sensitise common people on the issue. Unless the people are aware of the issue, such ill practice is difficult to check."

The drugs controller also warned that those, who were found to be selling medicines without valid prescriptions, would have their licence annulled.

Mahapatra also said: "We have not received reports so far that medicine shops selling medicines without prescription. But, we will again try ensure that no one is indulging in the practice."

On the allegation that though it is mandatory for a retail shop to keep pharmacists, many are not abiding by the norm, Mahapatra said: "We have around 26,000 pharmacists, but the state has 16,000 medicine retail shops. So taking these surplus manpower into account, we can comfortably say that not a single medicine shop is running without a pharmacist."

Man electrocuted

A 23-year-old lineman working on electricity pole was electrocuted in Jagatsinghpur district. Bapi Kumar Das, a resident of Odapada village in Raghunathpur police limits, was repairing the overhead line when he was electrocuted, police said.