Bhubaneswar, May 29: Patients will face difficulties as around 17,000 medicine shops across the state will remain closed from midnight tonight for a day in protest against online sale of drugs.

The Utkal Chemists and Druggists' Association, which has a membership of around 17,000 chemists in the state, will join the strike, called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists' Association.

The Utkal body's general secretary Prasant Jena said: "Around 17,000 of our members (12,000 retailers and 5,000 wholesalers) will join the strike. We are sorry for the inconvenience to be caused to the people. But, the government is responsible for that as we have submitted several representations in this regard."

He said: "We are opposed to the online sale of medicines, which is a violation under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Besides, the government wants us to feed all information related to sale of medicines on a portal. With the current infrastructure, it is not possible for us. On the other hand, with new regulations our margins are under pressure."

Jena said: "The online pharmacy will lead to sale of counterfeits, irrational usage of medicines and risk of drug reactions."

The state government has, on the other hand, asked the people not to panic and claimed to have made necessary arrangements to tackle the situation arising out of the strike.

Health secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda said the department officials, including the superintendents and directors of premier government hospitals and medical colleges as well as chief district medical officers of all district headquarters hospitals, would take precautionary measures in view of the proposed strike. "They have been asked to ensure stocking of the required life-saving and essential drugs for two days under the Niramaya Yojana," he said.

"We must ensure that patients are not put to any inconvenience," said Meherda.

The state government launched the yojana on May 1 last year to provide 570 medicines free of cost at government hospitals.

To start with, the scheme is under implementation at the three government-run hospitals, 30 district headquarters hospitals besides the Capital and Rourkela Government Hospital.

Sources said the government has signed pacts with various drug companies to supply medicines to the state-run Odisha Medicine Corporation.