Drug lab set to come up to check circulation of fake medicines, announces Mamata

kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced setting up of a drug laboratory in the state and strengthening vigil to check the proliferation of fake medicine in the market.

"Fake medicines are flooding the market and various reports regarding these are being flashed. It is the responsibility of the Centre to control such practice, but they are sitting idle. We are taking two major steps for curbing such fake medicine— setting up of a drug laboratory and at the same time strengthening vigil to seize such fake medicines," Banerjee said after chairing the meeting of the task force which was held for regulating prices of essential commodities at Nabanna Sabhaghar on Thursday.Banerjee slammed the central government for increasing the price of nearly 800 scheduled medicines on the National List of Essential Medicines, which are used to treat the majority of ailments like fever, blood pressure, diabetes, kidney etc. The price has gone up by 10.7 per cent beginning April 1.

The Chief Minister's concern comes in the wake of allegations of medicine from Bangladesh being provided to a number of patients at a government hospital at Kanthi in East Midnapore. The strip of the medicines did not have any manufacture or expiry date.

Banerjee also directed for constituting a maintenance committee for upkeep of the different instruments procured by the state Health department for the purpose of Covid treatment.

"These instruments are lying unutilised with Covid cases on the decline. But we have to ensure that they do not get defunct. So we are forming a committee so that these are preserved properly," the Chief Minister added.