New Delhi : New Delhi based online healthcare solution provider BigChemist.com has welcomed the recent release of a white paper on 'e-pharmacy in India' by industry chamber Ficci.

Widespread use of the internet will improve accessibility and affordability of medicines in India, the paper released on Monday said.

"It's a significantly positive step by Ficci as recommendations to government towards recognising the need for reaching out to over a billion people in our country to have access to authentic, affordable and safe medicines at their door step in their privacy and convenience through a robust & digitally enabled healthcare network," Puneet Kapoor, Director, BigChemist said in a statement.

According to the Ficci paper, the factors driving the demand for e-pharmacy in India include a rising number of people with unmet medical needs due to large population and increasing penetration of internet in both urban and rural India.

"With the rapidly changing consumer behaviour in India, there is a huge demand for accessing a wide range of products at the click of a button, and at competitive prices," the paper said.

"These recommendations will help both the e-pharmacies and customers alike. It will further solve a lot of issues in the industry by providing clarity on the operating models in retail pharmacies (both physical and e-enabled)," Kapoor noted.