Health department targets illegal drug vendors near govt hospitals
New Delhi: In a significant move to clean up Delhi’s pharmaceutical sector, the Health department’s Drugs Control division has launched a sweeping crackdown on unauthorized pharmacies operating near government hospitals. Acting on intelligence inputs, officials raided two commercial establishments in central Delhi last Friday, seizing a vast inventory of unlicensed medical devices and unregulated drugs.
The surprise raids were conducted by the recently formed Drugs Intelligence Cell, a 13-member team tasked with tracking and acting against the sale of counterfeit and substandard medicines.
The first operation was carried out at a dental and medical supply store in Daryaganj, where investigators found the premises stocked with over 180 categories of medical equipment, including syringes, catheters, and anesthetic drugs like Lignocaine, all kept without valid purchase records or licenses.
“The premises had no regulatory clearances and was operating in complete violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940,” an official involved in the raid said. “There were no records for procurement, and products were being stored for sale and distribution without proper documentation.”
Around the same time, another raid was executed at a shop in Nigam Medical Market, a busy commercial hub known for its proximity to hospitals. This establishment was found hoarding 58 types of unregistered medical devices, again without the requisite clearances as per the Medical Devices Rules, 2017.
Officials say such illegal operations pose a severe threat to public health, as the unregulated supply chain increases the chances of counterfeit and substandard drugs
entering the market.
“There are several stores operating under the radar outside major hospitals,” said a senior official from the Drugs Control department. “We’ve prioritised identifying and shutting them down.”
The department’s intelligence unit gathers market data and complaints before launching targeted raids. The latest action is part of a larger enforcement strategy being rolled out across Delhi to protect consumers and ensure that only licensed vendors are permitted to sell drugs and medical equipment.
Officials confirmed that more such operations are being planned in other hospital zones in the coming weeks as the city tightens control over its drug distribution channels.
