Government Proposes CCTV Surveillance at Medical Stores Selling Prescription Drugs
The draft would require licensed pharmacies to keep CCTV recordings for at least three months to improve oversight of prescription drug sales.
- On September 8, 2026, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare proposed an amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945, requiring retail medical stores to install and maintain Closed-Circuit Television surveillance systems for prescription drug sales.
- The ministry drafted the proposal to address concerns over "unauthorised access to and sale of Schedule H, H1 and X drugs," building on expert committee discussions about tracking Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances .
- Draft Rule 65, sub-rule 2A mandates retail premises store surveillance recordings for at least three months, though the requirement explicitly excludes wholesale drug transactions from these new regulatory obligations.
- Interested parties have 30 days to submit objections and suggestions, with feedback directed to the Under Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- The All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists previously argued that regulators should prioritize e-pharmacy oversight rather than impose additional constraints on brick-and-mortar stores, as Delhi implemented last year.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Government proposes CCTV surveillance at medical stores selling prescription drugs
The Union Health Ministry has proposed amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945, including mandatory CCTV surveillance at medical stores dealing with Schedule H, H1 and X drugs to strengthen regulatory oversight and curb unauthorised access and sale.
Medical stores: The Centre has decided to make CCTV cameras mandatory in medical stores across the country. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made a proposal to this effect.
New Delhi: The central government is preparing to put under CCTV surveillance the sale of medicines distributed in medical shops in the country. With the 1945 amendment of the Drugs Rules, the Central Health-Family Welfare...
The Central Government has taken a key decision to further tighten the sales of prescription drugs and curb their misuse.
New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Union Health Ministry has taken a major step to tighten monitoring of the sale of medicines. The ministry has proposed amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945, to strengthen regulatory oversight of Schedule H, H1, and X drugs. This amendment includes making CCTV surveillance mandatory at medical stores across the country. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a draft gazette notification in this regard on Sept…
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