Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 7: Despite Court directions passed in the month of September, the authorities have failed to furnish the details of officers who have approved the sub-standard and misbranded drugs as supplied by the JK Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd.
The response to the affidavit of Health and Medical Education Department has been filed by the amicus before the High Court which says that the affidavit of H&ME is completely evasive and misleading as the same does not disclose as to what is the nature of administrative action taken against the concerned manufacturers.
It may be mentioned here that Health and Medical Education Department through its Principal Secretary in his affidavit as directed by the Court revealed that 69 drug samples out of which 11 such drugs supplied by the J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd (Government Agency) to the Government Hospitals have been found and declared substandard and misbranded.
Court had directed the amicus to respond to the affidavit in order to find out the real and factual position and the amicus through its response before the Division Bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Sanjeev Kumar submitted that the information provided in the affidavit does not disclose the steps taken for accelerating the adjudication in the prosecution.
“…the samples taken pertained to the period of first half of the year 2017 and it is understood that in the absence of any penal action under the Act, the concerned manufacturers continued to manufacture and distribute the drugs declared as not of the standard quality by even the Appellate Laboratory”, the response read.
Before proceeding further into the matter, the court asked the amicus to provide the copy of the response to the State Counsel so as to enable him to reply to the same.
It has further been said in the response that pendency of consequential action for inordinate period is reflective of casual approach by the authorities without appreciating the disastrous consequences and the same is likely to entail in the patient health.
It is further added that the JKMPCL instead of ensuring purchase and supply of drugs from the top most pharmaceutical manufacturers and companies and thereby making purchase from lowest tenderer by compromising the quality.
Amicus also submitted that the office of Drug Controller Department in the State is also under staffed and against 15 sanctioned posts of Assistant Drug Analysis only 4 posts are filled by permanent incumbents and the rest of the posts are vacant.
Apart from this it is also said doctors practice and prescribe the medicines of specified companies and manufacturers having reference to unholy alliance of the license holder-doctor-manufacturer and supplier.
“The practice has not only lead to prescription/administration of unrelated drugs like multi-vitamins, syrups, costly antibiotics, pain killers based on commercial interests and generating latrogenic/physician induced diseases, but has also encouraged unqualified persons in such clinics to act as doctors or pharmacists or nursing orderlies etc”, read the response.
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