Closing timings of hospital pharmacies to be revised: Taposh

The order to shutter hospital pharmacies by 2am may be reviewed and reconsidered following the requirements of the hospital authorities, said Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Wednesday.

DSCC authorities earlier ordered the hospital pharmacies to shut by 2am considering the emergencies at the hospitals, which is rational, he told the reporters after inaugurating the city's Azimpur Foot-over Bridge.

The move came as part of government's austerity measures that include rationing of electricity amid fuel crisis.

However, the DSCC will consider extending the closing time of the hospital pharmacies or keeping those open for 24 hours a day following a written request from the busiest hospitals including Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said the mayor.

"This will be fixed as per the necessities of those hospitals and the areas," he added.

"But no one can proceed (conduct activities) beyond the schedule in any manner. Everyone has to follow the schedule."

Regarding the monitoring of the shops' scheduled closure, Taposh said no law or policy can be strictly implemented or enforced without public involvement.

So this schedule will not be difficult to implement as the public accepted this spontaneously, he added.

On 22 August, DSCC issued a notice allowing standalone pharmacies to remain open till 12am and those at hospitals till 2am to ration electricity.

Besides, the corporation asked malls, shops, kitchen markets and other business outlets in its areas to remain open till 8pm and restaurants and hotels till 10pm. This order will be effective 1 September.

On 25 August, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that the pharmacies in Dhaka will remain open 24 hours a day.

"We do not give any instructions regarding the closure of the pharmacies by midnight. We are in talks with the city corporations on this. Anyway, pharmacies can remain open for 24 hours," he added.