Almost a yr after Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) V Ok Saxena really useful a CBI probe into the procurement and provide of allegedly “spurious” and “substandard” medicine in Delhi’s authorities hospitals and mohalla clinics, an inner inquiry committee of the Directorate Normal of Well being Companies (DGHS) has discovered “no wrongdoing” underneath the availability of Medication and Cosmetics Act, 1940, on the a part of Central Procurement Company (CPA) and DGHS officers, authorities officers, distributors and companies.
As per a report submitted by Rajiv Bhargava, Assistant Drug Controller, Medication Management Division, to the DGHS committee, groups from the Vigilance and Drug Management Departments had visited authorities hospitals throughout Delhi between July 24 and 26 this yr to gather 43 samples, which had been despatched to authorities and personal laboratories for testing. The report states that these drug samples weren’t discovered to be “substandard” or “spurious”, as alleged in a criticism to the Delhi authorities’s Vigilance Division.
A Delhi Well being Division official advised The Indian Categorical, “The DGHS report reveals that there was no technical fault with the medication samples.”
An nameless criticism to the CBI towards “substandard” or “spurious” medicines had hit the availability of medicine like Amlodipine (for blood strain), Sodium Valproate (for epilepsy and bipolar problems), Levetiracetam (for seizures), Pantoprazole (for acid reflux disorder and heartburn), Cephalexin (for respiratory infections) and Dexamethasone (irritation) at Delhi authorities hospitals and mohalla clinics.
Spurious medicine are merchandise that imitate others, principally in style manufacturers, and should not include the lively ingredient or the right chemical composition required to deal with a illness. Distributors supplying these medicine had been additionally blacklisted following the criticism.
In accordance with the DGHS inquiry committee report:
* Of 43 samples (together with these of Amlodipine, Sodium Valproate, Levetiracetam, Pantoprazole, Cephalexin and Dexamethasone) collected by it, six had been discovered to be “not of ordinary high quality” by both non-public or authorities laboratories, or each. The DGHS report states that “as per Part IV, basic and particular circumstances of the tender reference, ‘not of ordinary high quality’ just isn’t a prison act as per the tender circumstances in addition to the Medication and Cosmetics Act 1940”.
* Experiences from authorities laboratories discovered points with associated substances in Amlodipine and Levetiracetam. Sources within the Delhi Well being Division mentioned, “Within the purification stage of producing of lively pharmaceutical elements, impurities are eliminated or it’s ensured that they’re both minimised and inside permissible limits, in order that they aren’t dangerous or not current in any respect.”
* Pantoprazole, Sodium Valproate, Dexamethasone and Cephalexin tablets didn’t adjust to the requirements for dissolution (the time taken by a drug to dissolve within the physique). A Delhi Well being Division official mentioned, “Every pill and formulation (like coated, uncoated, chewable and capsules) has a unique dissolution time. Prescribed requirements for every pill and formulation is handed by the Drug Management Division each time it provides a nod to a drugs.”
The DGHS had submitted its inquiry report back to the L-G, Delhi Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Well being, on October 10. The report will now be despatched to the Vigilance Division and the CBI.
Throughout its investigation, the Vigilance Division had carried out interviews with three former heads of the CPA (which procures medicine and surgical objects for all Delhi authorities hospitals, mohalla clinics and dispensaries), the DGHS head and distributors.
The inner inquiry committee report states that the previous CPA heads had mentioned throughout their interviews that not one of the companies had been ever blacklisted as per tender circumstances, as was alleged earlier. The report mentioned, “One of many distributors has not equipped any medicine to the CPA within the final 10 years.”
Recommending the acceptance of the closure report towards the blacklisted vendor companies, the report submitted that the nameless criticism to the CBI was “purely based mostly on both skilled rivalry or vested pursuits to falsely implicate vendor companies for causes greatest identified to them”.
In his letter to the Vigilance Division on August 28 this yr, CBI’s Superintendent of Police Rajiv Kumar had sought an motion taken report from the Delhi Well being Division. The letter had additionally said {that a} high-level board arrange by the Delhi authorities had raided hospitals and the CPA, and located a provide of “substandard” surgical objects and “spurious” medicine. In its reply, the Vigilance Division had said that it was unaware of such a raid by a high-level board.
