New Delhi (NVI): Industry body FICCI has expressed concern over the delay in notifying e-pharmacy rules by the government, saying that it is causing confusion and anxiety for all the stakeholders involved in digital health ecosystem.
E-Pharmacy has come up as an innovative way and attractive model in healthcare space. “In a span of just 4 years, e-pharmacy is successfully catering to a huge number of consumers across the country.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has been actively working to drive innovative models for healthcare access. It has been dynamically involved in the policy, strategy and capacity building for this sector.
e-Pharmacies operate on the inspiration taken from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Digital India’.
Currently, there are 50+ start-ups operating in e-Pharmacy space in the country, which provides quality and affordable medicines to about 50 lakh patients per month across the country and has served patients across 19000 + PIN codes.
About 30,000 skilled professionals are employed by the sector. e-Pharmacy sector has attracted Rs 4000 crore plus in FDI from some of the top global investors, and another Rs 2000 crore is expected in the next 2 to 3 years.
However, the delay in notifying the e-Pharmacy rules is causing a lot of issues for the e-Pharmacy players in terms of ease of doing business, as a simple and clear regulatory pathway is a prerequisite for innovation to thrive in this important sector.
