BEWARE WHILE ONLINE BUYING MEDICAMENTS

ONLINE MEDICATION PURCHASE CONVENIENT BUT RISKY

DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE MEDICINE PURCHASES

Onset of the pandemic accelerate online pharmacy procurement. The doorstep deliveries of medicines mass commenced in lockdown as medical supplies enlist under necessity products. Indeed online med-purchase is convenient for buyers, but it’s more beneficial for the credibility of online sellers too.

Ethics prohibits businesses to scrupulously gain in a pandemic, but many made handsome money using the e-commerce platforms.

Pharma E-Commerce

The pharmaceutical industry faced high demand for medicaments in the pandemic, registering high sales volume, and revenues good even after the third covid-19 wave. The Healthcare industry performs proactively, the same as in the first pandemic outbreak. The performance of the Medical institutions in the covid-19 initial invasion highlights their commitment, ethical values and integrity. On the flip side, some have different aspiration, which models opposite inspiration of earning extra trading low quality medicinal products online.

Digital Commerce Vitality

The pandemic session would have been inconvenient, hadn’t online commerce been functional. The viral aspect is the online purchase of medicines, then or now and in the time to come. In the lockdown, online order and home delivery functioned immensely in sufficing vital needs in the crucial hours, and now even the government recognizes the essence of online transaction.

But there is another side of the digital medicine purchase, the good and the bad transactions. Evil exists in here too.

Core-3 Disadvantages–Online Pharmacy Purchase

The major drawbacks of purchasing medicines online bases upon three major activities, they are:-

1. Duplicate Medicines delivery

2. Low Potency Pharmaceuticals tendered

3. No delivery of medication

Quite often, the above events after the buyer make the payment and expect home delivery of the ordered medicines. Digital transactions associate with payment security issues and warrant frequent security aspects.

Expect These If You Online Shop Impulsively In Pandemic

A pandemic with a complete lockdown accelerates more digital buy-sell facilitating scoping online frauds.

Outcome – Impulsive Digital Medicine Purchases

Credibility 

Low price quotes tempt the buyers to overlook the basic check of the seller's credibility.

Sellers of pharmaceuticals and medications camouflage between the authentic healthcare products and services provided and filtering out the wrong from right becomes too difficult.

Check – Seller Profile 

To avoid falling prey to low or no credible online medicine sellers, it is mandatory to look out for information like –

Check for the seller company’s registration number

Check out for their relevant accreditation by the Government and Healthcare Governing Bodies

Look for their website

In case the above mentions are missing then run a search on these portals –

• GST Portal
• MCA.GOV

We suggest you not proceeding with the online medicine if the online medication seller doesn’t fill the above checklists.

In Pandemic, the volume of transactions peaked high and cases of fraud also rose. Online Pharmacy orders reach their zenith in corona session, but some buyers receive their delivery, while others wait. Some fall prey to the grips of seller duplicate medications.

Online Med-Buy Lacks Affirmation 0f – 

• Substance Purity
• Medicine Compatibility and Resistance
• Price Monopoly
• Healthcare professional supervision
• Physician’s prescription

Online Pharma sellers are always at a better vantage than the buyers. Contactless transactions place the buyers at a lower stance better positioning online sellers. E-commerce is bliss but is also useful to those who seek to reap much no matter which way suits them. Anyone can sell online as digital affairs give the liberty to do so irrespective of status discrimination.

Mandates Ensuring Right Online Purchase of Medicines

• Mass awareness about medicaments

The ultimate weapon against the low quality med purchases is to have sufficient information about the products. Knowledge of some basic ingredients may be helpful in identifying the right amongst the wrongs.

What You Can Do

Thoroughly scan the details mentioned on the product’s packaging and try to retrieve as much information as possible surfing online. You are basically to look for these details:-

Contact details of the online medicine seller like –

– Mobile and landline numbers

– E-mail address

– Fax Number

Statutory Portals

You can take help of the Government statutory website, online Income Tax   department portal.

Unique Identification Number

Chance of success is better here, if you have the name and UIN number of Seller’s registered company.

DIN Search – If you know the ‘Director Identification Number’ of the Seller’s company then you have the jackpot as it will take time in tracing out the business affairs.

Other Business Verification Sites

You may alternatively try to look for websites that maintain records of the companies like, Date of incorporation, director’s detail, company’s detail, and company’s address. You may never know which option serves you the best.

GST portal

Another channel that may facilitate you with the information of online medicine sellers, is the Goods and Service tax websites where you get vital details about the company, if you know their GST registration number which is the combination of state code, pan number, and other randomly generated numbers known by the GST officials.

In-person Verification – Opting for this method is good when the address of the company mentioned is near to your residence. You may go and verify the actual existence of the company in-person.

Conclusion

Like opposite poles attract, on same notion, the good and bad stirs life’s equation. To avoid undesirable and loss making outcomes, you need to play smart

Healthcare Writer - Amit Rao