The health department and drug control authorities in Darjeeling district have taken the initiative to stop the sale of fake, banned and sub-par medicines from 3,000-odd pharmacies located across the district as well as state-run medicine stores.
Tulsi Pramanik, the chief medical officer of health (CMOH) of Darjeeling, said on Saturday that instructions were issued to clear the stock of such medicines from all state-run health establishments after verifying store inventories.
“Prompt action has been taken to confirm that no such drug is used in any government-run health facility of the district or sold from any state-run medicine shops. A meeting has been held with officials of our department posted in different blocks and subdivisions,” he said.
“We are now focusing on private medicine shops. Despite a clear directive from the state, most of the drug stores in the district are not yet displaying a board in front of their shops with the list of drugs that cannot be sold,” Pramanik said.
The initiative follows specific instructions from chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Mamata, during an administrative review meeting of eight north Bengal districts in Siliguri last Wednesday, instructed the health officials to confirm that pharmacies prominently display the list of such drugs.
“Several brands were banned. Some were found to be of low quality. Medicine shops should mention the names to make people aware. Health officials in districts will have to ensure it. They should also pay surprise visits to these shops,” she said at
the meeting.
Pramanik said that on Friday, he held a meeting with the officials posted in the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, other hospitals and blocks to work on the issue.
“Such boards will also be put up at fair-price medicine shops attached to government hospitals. We have also spoken with drug control authorities and a campaign will be held for public awareness,” said the CMOH.
He said that a section of buyers were already aware of such drugs. Recently, Pramanik said that a Siliguri resident scanned the QR code of a medicine. On not finding any information, he reported the matter to the district drug control office. “The medicine has been sent for lab tests,” he added.
Sources in the district health department said 51 widely used drugs had been banned after they failed in quality checks.
Additionally, following the North Dinajpur-based Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals’ Ringer Lactate controversy in January this year when the fluid was found of low quality, 14 medicines made by the same company have been blacklisted. Another 60 medicines, which were marked “not of standard quality (NSQ)” by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), have also been banned for sale.
“To improve traceability of such medicines, the state government has linked 300 commonly-used essential medicines with QR codes and has integrated all relevant data into a mobile app,” said
a source.
Debajit Sengupta, an assistant director of the drug control office in Darjeeling, said many pharmacies in the hills had put up boards bearing the list of banned medicines. But in the plains, especially Siliguri, most of the shops were yet to do so.
“We have limited infrastructure. Still, we are trying to maintain regular surveillance. Shops offering high-discount medicines are also being monitored. A directive has been sent to the branch concerned of the Bengal Chemists & Druggists Association so that display boards are put up in pharmacies at the earliest,” said Sengupta.