State to examine medicine quality in govt fair-price shops

Kolkata: In a unique initiative the state Health department has decided to pay surprise visits to the fair-price medicine shops of all the government-run hospitals to examine the quality of medicines.

Officials from the state Health department and also West Bengal Drug Control will visit the fair-price medicine shops and examine the quality of medicines on a random basis. Senior health officials from Swasthya Bhawan have already held a virtual meeting with the chief medical officer of health (CMoH) in all the districts in this regard.

It was decided in the meeting that surprise visits will be carried out by the health officials at the fair-price medicine shops of all the government hospitals in all the districts.

The CMoHs have been told that there should be some surveillance to examine the quality of medicines that are sold out from the fair-price medicine shops at the state-run hospitals.

Incidentally, the state health department had recently asked a saline manufacturing unit of M/S Pharma Impex Laboratories Pvt Ltd (Pharma Impex) in Baruipur to stop manufacturing the product after a joint inspection team from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the state Drug Control Directorate raided and found the unit was not conforming to certain standards of manufacturing.

The teams found gross deficiencies in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) that covers areas including quality, pest-free environment, quality raw material, standard equipment, proper storage and trained manpower. After the Midnapore Medical College incident, the state government had banned Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals from producing and supplying Ringer’s lactate and other drugs.

After this, the majority of the saline in government hospitals was supplied by Pharma Impex. As many as 17 drugs produced by the same pharmacy have also been banned.