The strike was called by the Uttarakhand Pharmacists Association and began at 9 am affecting 480 government hospitals, primary and community health centers across 13 districts in the state.
Their demands include immediate rectification in their pay-scales' anomalies, review of their service and introduction of special allowances to pharmacists posted in remote areas. UPA office-bearers said that the special allowance should be introduced on the lines of allowances paid to medical officers posted in remote areas.
Association president B S Kalra claimed that most of the patients in government hospitals and dispensaries were unable to collect medicines prescribed by medical officers in Gahrwal and Kumaon divisions due to their strike.
"We had come from far off villages to collect the medicines for our people but due to strike we were not able to get medicines from Doon hospital in Dehradun," said Rani Rawat and Hemwanti Bist from Vikasnagar in Dehradun district.
A senior officer in the Uttarakhand health and family welfare department said the strike had most affected 14 health centres in far-flung areas of Rudrapryag, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh districts where pharmacists are the officiating in-charge.
"Although strike had affected medical services in all government hospitals in the state, remote areas where private medical stores are not available were worst affected," a senior medical officer said in Dehradun.
A UPA member said that they had held two rounds of talks with state health minister S S Negi but they failed. Members of the Association said they will continue their indefinite strike till their demands were met.
"We have already suffered a lot due to government inability to meet our demands, we no longer want to suffer now," said a senior office-bearer.
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