Health corp fungus-infested injections

deepak pace

DJ_DEE
Health corporation supplies fungus-infested injections



Ludhiana, December 24
In yet another case of gross negligence on the part of the Punjab Health System Corporation, a village dispensary in the district received a bag containing sodium chloride and dextrose injections (IV fluid DNS) of different colours and fungus-infested solution.
The solution was a part of the supply sent to the dispensary run by a doctor appointed on a contract under the Rural Development, Punjab.
While on a visit to the dispensary, The Tribune team came across fluid, which manufactured by Punjab Formulations Limited, a pharmaceutical company located at Sura village in Jalandhar district. The solution carries a manufacturing date of February 2008 and the expiry date of January 2011.
The liquid is of brown colour whereas its original colour is crystal clear. Most shocking part is the presence of fungus and ants visible to the naked eye.
Rural Medical Service Association president Aslam Parvez while taking a strong notice of the substandard medicines supplied to rural dispensaries said,” We will send the medicine for laboratory test and the matter will be taken up with the corporation and the Rural Development Department."
The medicines were not supplied to the rural dispensaries for more than a year. Now, this dispensary has been supplied substandard medicines. The dispensaries are catering to the rural populace, who are dissatisfied with the supply of medicines as they hold the doctors responsible for dispensing substandard medicines, Aslam added.
The medicines like multi-vitamins, Cetrizine , CPM , PCM, Ciprofloxacin, Metrogyl and various other pain killers are not only substandard but were procured from 'unknown' units from and within Punjab.
A senior doctor while pointing towards the purchase of 'substandard medicines' by the purchase committees said,” The pharmaceutical company, which is supplying these medicines, is not so well known whereas almost all the reputed pharmaceuticals, including Glaxo, Ranbaxy, Cipla are manufacturing the generic drugs at a nominal price. Moreover, every rural dispensary has to be given medicine worth Rs 7,500 per month that amounts to Rs 90,000 per year which is not done so." He further said the committees were blatantly involved in unethical practice as it clearly mentioned in the regulations that the companies that were supplying medicines to the public health sector should have a minimum annual turnover of Rs 5 crore per annum
 
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