10 of 17 Zunheboto pharmacies operating without licences

ZUNHEBOTO – Ten of the 17 pharmacies inspected in Zunheboto town were found operating without valid pharmacy licences, prompting the district administration on Monday to order the Drug Inspector to verify their status and close those running without one.

The finding was placed before the District Level Committee of the Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD), which met on November 9 in the office chamber of Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaying Sheu, who chaired the meeting, according to a post by MyGov Nagaland. The Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Zunheboto, and the Drug Inspector carried out the joint inspection of pharmacies in the town. No seizure was made. The post did not say when the inspection took place, and it did not name any of the pharmacies.

‘Don’t wait for higher authorities’

Sheu expressed serious concern that pharmacies were still trading without licences despite earlier inspection drives. He told the Drug Inspector to act immediately, including by closing establishments found without valid licences, and said inspections should be carried out regularly with the findings properly documented, instead of waiting for directions from higher authorities or for an untoward incident.

He said officials concerned must be held accountable and the matter treated seriously. He also asked the Drug Inspector to ensure that prescriptions carry the name of the prescribing medical practitioner and that every regulatory requirement is followed, and said the licensing authority must deal with unlicensed establishments in accordance with the law.

Statewide licensing push

The Zunheboto findings come months after the state tightened its rules for medicine sellers. In February, the Nagaland Drugs Control Administration ordered all wholesale dealers and retail pharmacies to register on the Online National Drugs Licensing System (ONDLS) by June 30, 2026, warning that those who did not would face disruption to the purchase and sale of medicines from July 1, The Morung Express reported. The same order requires a registered pharmacist to physically supervise all dispensing.

Enforcement has been uneven across districts. In July 2025, the state drugs control administration cancelled the licences of 15 pharmacies in Niuland district for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act after they failed to respond to show-cause notices, EastMojo reported. Health department data from February 2025, cited in the same report, counted 1,157 pharmacies in Nagaland but only 278 registered pharmacists.

At Zunheboto’s previous NCORD meeting on September 3, Deputy Commissioner Dharam Raj had directed the district Drug Inspector to inspect pharmacies frequently to stop the misuse and diversion of medicines and controlled substances, The Morung Express reported.

OST misuse claims unverified

The committee also discussed allegations that medicines given under Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) were being misused and diverted in the district. OST gives people dependent on opioids a controlled daily dose of a substitute medicine under medical supervision.

Chief Medical Officer Dr G Viholi Sema told the committee that inspections had been carried out and that concerns had emerged about registered beneficiaries allegedly selling their prescribed medicines. However, nobody had been caught red-handed, and the allegations remain unverified, the CMO said.

The CMO pointed to the practical difficulties beneficiaries face, particularly those who travel from remote areas every day for their medication. The committee was told the centre at Akuluto follows a daily-dose system rather than handing out medicines in bulk. The district has 1,150 registered OST beneficiaries, 893 of them in Zunheboto town alone.

Sheu asked the Health Department to look for effective ways to prevent diversion and to strengthen monitoring of beneficiaries, with proper supervision and action wherever irregularities are established.

Figures shared at a June 26 programme in Zunheboto by DISHA, which provides counselling and OST services, listed more than 2,200 injecting drug users registered with four service providers in the district, with 104 HIV-positive cases among them, The Morung Express reported.

Only one rehabilitation centre

The meeting noted that Zunheboto district has only one rehabilitation centre and said rehabilitation facilities and support services needed greater attention.

The gap has been raised before. At the June 26 programme, District and Sessions Judge Phuleto Yeptho said the district urgently needed a dedicated de-addiction and rehabilitation centre, and Deputy Commissioner Dharam Raj said a proposal for one had been submitted under the Nasha Mukta Bharat Abhiyan and was awaiting approval, according to the same Morung Express report. The MyGov Nagaland post did not say whether that proposal has since been approved.

Seizures and awareness

SDPO K Phyolumo Lotha told the committee that police seized 580 Spasmo capsules and arrested two people in drug-related cases in October. Police had earlier seized 18,000 SP capsules in April, leading to two arrests, the September meeting was told.

On awareness, Sheu directed the School Education Department to run extensive campaigns, saying such programmes must go beyond posting photographs on social media and focus on meaningful, sustained outreach among students and the wider community.

He urged all departments to go beyond their routine duties and work proactively and in coordination, saying sustained enforcement, regular inspections, public awareness and proper monitoring were essential to tackle drug abuse and protect public health in the district.

Anyone seeking help with substance use can call the 24×7 National De-addiction Helpline at 14446.

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With inputs from MyGov Nagaland.