Thousands of patients across Hyderabad were left searching for medicines on Wednesday ( May 20, 2026) after pharmacies downed shutters as part of a nationwide strike against e-pharmacies and alleged irregularities in medicine sales online.

Outside the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Punjagutta, 65-year-old Lakshamma slowly walked out of the hospital along with her son, clutching a prescription for medicines prescribed to treat her knee pain. The two expected to purchase the medicines from one of the many pharmacies lining the busy road outside the hospital.

“I came here because of pain in my knee. The doctor checked me and prescribed a few medicines. There was a huge crowd at the pharmacy inside the hospital, so we thought we would buy them outside,” Ms. Lakshamma said. But as they stepped out through the hospital’s exit towards Punjagutta, they found every pharmacy closed. A banner was hung outside a medical shop informing customers that pharmacies would remain closed on May 20 due to a nationwide strike.

The shutdown was part of a nationwide strike called by All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) protesting against the growth of e-pharmacies and alleging irregularities in the online sale of medicines. In Telangana alone, around 45,000 pharmacies were expected to participate in the strike, including nearly 20,000 in Hyderabad. “Online platforms are selling medicines without proper prescription checks and offering discounts that small pharmacies cannot compete with. This strike is to protect both patient safety and small chemists,” said a T. Krishna Kumar, treasurer of the Telangana Chemists and Druggists Association (TCDA).

The impact of the shutdown was visible across the city. Punjagutta, home to NIMS, one of Telangana’s largest tertiary care hospitals, and another major private hospital located nearby, usually witnesses packed pharmacies throughout the day. On Wednesday, the medical shops along the long stretch remained closed, creating an unusually silent scene in one of Hyderabad’s busiest healthcare corridors. A similar situation prevailed a few kilometres away in Somajiguda, which houses a corporate hospital. Most medical shops there too had their shutters down.

Pharmacies in hospitals open

Hospital pharmacies continued operating to ensure access to essential medicines for critically ill patients and those requiring urgent treatment. Corporate pharmacy chains including Apollo Pharmacy and MedPlus also remained open across the city, drawing visible queues of customers. At an Apollo Pharmacy outlet in Somajiguda, Narender Singh waited for his turn to purchase medicines he said he could not afford to miss. “I suffered a heart attack five years ago and two stents were placed in my heart. Since then, I have to take medicines for life,” he said.

He added that he ran out of blood thinner tablets the previous day and he forgot to purchase them. On Wednesday morning, while heading to the office, he planned to buy the medicines from his regular pharmacy in Punjagutta, only to find it closed because of the strike. “Since this medicine is essential for me, I had to come here,” he said while standing in the queue.

Medical stores in Hyderabad have pulled down their shutters on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) | Video Credit: NAGARA GOPAL