Syed Muntaha
Srinagar: What could be more embarrassing for the state government as it maintains grim silence over the supply of sub standard drugs to the state run hospitals in state, putting the lives of innocent people in danger?
According to reports, the DFCO has find many antibiotic medicines of sub standard quality which only can’t prove ineffective for the patients treated in government hospitals, however, also cause risk to their lives.
“The entire purchase of medicines by the JKMSCL has come under scanner after DFCO tested several drugs of “not standard quality. Last week out of 14 drugs 4 were tested sub standard including antibiotics, which serves as life saving drugs for the patients,” said the sources, privy to the developments.
Interestingly, there is no word from the government against the criminal act of the accused officials with state government maintaining grim silence over it.
In addition of these four drugs, the DFCO so far tested 46 drugs positive since April 2016.
“The organization which was setup to ensure the transparency and honesty in drug procurements is itself involved in the heinous crime. But unfortunately the government overlooks it as it seems the organized crime against innocent civilians,” said the sources.
The revelation from the DFCO has come as severe blow for the JKMSCL for its wrongdoings as the DFCO stood by its reports of substantiating drugs spurious supplied to state run hospitals. Earlier, the JKMSCL maintained that the drugs were tested by two national Labourites and declared them effective and of standard quality.
In early January, a serious case of antibiotic injections mixed with steroid injections was reported from GB Pant Children’s Hospital in Srinagar, following which 19,000 vials—the JKMSCL supply—had to be recalled. Tragically it is to be believed that the common people have consumed spurious drugs worth more than 10 lakhs after government supplied the total procumbent worth Rs 33 lakhs.
“Of this quota we have to see how much we can call back of this sub standard drugs. Since it has been months the supply was released to the hospitals and patients must have consumed good quantity out of it,” said the sources. The government has to issue the stop-use advisory to all the hospitals after the drugs were found sub standard.
While no official was ready to comment on the issue the doctors treating in the hospital termed the issue of grave concern. “It is unfortunate that no action is being taken by the government. It will create havoc and the common people will suffer a lot,” said the doctors.
Pertinently, the silence of government has come after it recently acted against the director general ISM after a mischievous complaint against the supply of sub standard drugs was lodged. Later the committee set by government found allegations baseless.
“The government is acting selectively and just on a meagre complaint it attached the DG ISM. Later in the probe, nothing adverse was found. Here the government run laboratory is proving the strong case against the JKMSCL for the supply of spurious antibiotics to the hospitals, but no action is taken,” said the sources.
