The Union government has tabled a proposal that would make it mandatory for retail pharmacies across India to install CCTV cameras at points of sale, a move aimed at strengthening oversight over the distribution and dispensing of prescription medicines. Under the proposed framework, every pharmacy that sells drugs against a valid prescription would be required to maintain video surveillance, creating a digital trail of transactions involving scheduled medicines.
The proposal comes amid growing concerns about the diversion of prescription drugs into the illicit market, the sale of counterfeit medications, and the lack of accountability in how scheduled drugs are dispensed to patients. Drug regulators have long flagged instances where medications meant for legitimate medical use are siphoned off and sold without prescriptions, sometimes finding their way into substance abuse networks.
Notably, wholesale drug dealers and distributors have been explicitly carved out of the CCTV requirement. Sources indicate that the government does not intend to impose the surveillance mandate on entities operating at the wholesale level, a decision that has drawn mixed reactions from industry stakeholders. Some pharmaceutical trade bodies have welcomed the targeted approach, arguing that imposing CCTV costs on wholesalers could disrupt supply chains and increase overheads unnecessarily.
Critics, however, have questioned why the surveillance net does not extend further up the supply chain. They argue that wholesale channels are equally susceptible to misuse and that without monitoring at that level, prescription drugs could still be diverted before reaching retail outlets.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at upcoming meetings of the central drug standards authority, which will decide whether to incorporate the CCTV mandate into the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Rules. If approved, pharmacies would likely be given a compliance window of several months to install and operationalise the required systems.
