Vigilance probe into supply of substandard drugs to government hospitals in Kerala
By the time officials are notified of the case, the patients will have consumed the drugs
Kozhikode: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has started an investigation into the sale of substandard drugs in government hospitals in the state. This follows an expose by the DC in a report published on March 18 this year.
The Kozhikode Vigilance unit is collecting evidence on the procurement, supply and usage of drugs in government hospitals and is also investigating the reasons for the delay in getting the samples tested by Kerala Medical Service Corporation Limited.
The Vigilance directorate has entrusted a circle inspector of vigilance with the investigation. The DC report had revealed that the KMSCL had been procuring and supplying substandard drugs to the government hospitals and that the corporation dispatched these drugs before the mandatory quality analysis. Documents available with DC showed that the long list of substandard medicines supplied by KMSCL includes several antibiotics used to treat serious bacterial infections like pneumonia and meningitis and also life-saving drugs given to cardiac patients.
“We got a directive from the directorate and have started the investigation. We need to find out what causes the delay in getting the drug samples tested and how the corporation could dispatch them before the mandatory quality check,” a senior vigilance official told Deccan Chronicle.
According to druggists in government hospitals, by the time KMSCL notifies them about the substandard drugs supplied, most of the medicines would have been used by the patients in these hospitals.
Vigilance officials said that they would also probe the KMSCL decision to award the drug supply contract to the blacklisted companies. When a drug is found to be substandard, KMSCL blacklists the manufacturer for a brief period and later allows it to supply the medicines.