Bhubaneswar, Oct. 14: Khandagiri resident Partha Sarathi Das, who was suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, did not find a medicine shop open in his area today.

Like Das, many suffered today due to the one-day strike called by chemists and druggists against the online sale of medicines.

"Drugs come under essential commodities, but with medicine shops downing shutters, people are suffering. Though a few shops were open on the Capital Hospital premises, I could not find what I needed there," said Das.

Nearly 800 medicine shops in the city downed their shutters as part of the nationwide strike. Only a few shops on the premises of government and private hospitals were open.

Members of the Bhubaneswar Chemists and Druggists' Association today lost more than Rs 2 crore because of the strike. The local association is part of the Utkal Chemists and Druggists' Association, which is a state-level body of the drug sellers.

General secretary of the Utkal association Prabir Kumar Das said: "Online sale of medicines will affect our business. This method will also give rise to easy availability of habit-forming drugs and circulation of fake medicines."

Das said the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists had called the strike and eight lakh shop owners supported the cause. Members of the Bhubaneswar association today submitted a memorandum to chief minister Naveen Patnaik and health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.

However, the Utkal association office at Unit-IV opened a helpline to assist patients with emergency medicine needs.

"The proposal by the Centre to allow online sale may backfire as this would make dangerous medicines available just at the click of a mouse," said joint secretary of the Bhubaneswar association Debadutta Patra.