A nationwide survey has highlighted gaps in prescription compliance at medical stores, with 64% of respondents saying chemists never or rarely asked them for a doctor’s prescription before selling medicines.

The survey by LocalCircles received more than 1.06 lakh responses from consumers across 327 districts. According to the findings, 34% said they were never asked for a prescription, while 30% said they were asked only rarely.

Only 11% said chemists asked for prescriptions most of the time, while 4% said medicines were always refused without one.

The findings come as the government considers stricter monitoring of prescription medicine sales. A draft notification issued by the Union Health Ministry on September 8 proposes mandatory CCTV surveillance at medical stores dispensing medicines that require a prescription. The proposal seeks to amend the Drugs Rules, 1945, and is currently open to objections and suggestions.

The survey also raised questions about access to qualified pharmacists. Only 31% of respondents said a qualified pharmacist assisted them most of the time or always when they had medicine- or disease-related queries. Another 13% said the person assisting them was not a qualified pharmacist.
Prescription compliance was also a concern with home deliveries. Among consumers who received medicines this way, 41% said prescriptions were never or rarely requested.

Documentation emerged as another issue, with 26% reporting that they did not receive a GST bill or invoice.

The survey further found that 15% of respondents said they had purchased medicines later found to be fake or counterfeit, while another 15% reported receiving medicines that were not confirmed as counterfeit but were ineffective.

With 86% of respondents primarily relying on local chemists, the findings suggest that stronger monitoring may need to address prescription checks, pharmacist supervision, billing and medicine authenticity alongside CCTV surveillance.