Mumbai FDA sets up control rooms ahead of chemists' strike

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration has set up control rooms in Mumbai ahead of a planned chemists’ strike on May 20, according to local reporting, as officials move to prevent any disruption in medicine supply.

The emergency steps come as the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists has called for a nationwide shutdown over the issue of online medicine sales and e-pharmacies. Officials said the focus is to avoid shortages, especially of essential and life-saving drugs.

The Mumbai response was reported on May 18, while later coverage on May 19 confirmed the wider scale of the strike call. Some reports also said several state pharmacy bodies would not join the protest, and government sources expected medicine access to remain largely uninterrupted.

The strike call has put public health authorities on alert in the run-up to May 20, with Mumbai among the cities taking preventive measures before the planned shutdown.

No disruption has yet been reported, and the immediate question is whether the strike proceeds as called and how much it affects pharmacy operations and medicine availability on the day.