Jamshedpur, Feb. 23: The state health and family welfare department has ordered the constitution of special teams to check anomalies in supply of drugs to government-run health centres by pharmaceutical companies.

Sources in the ministry told The Telegraph from Ranchi that the move has been taken after detection of irregularities in the supply of drugs by two government-run pharmaceutical companies — one based in Karnataka and the other in West Bengal.

While the Karnataka-based pharmaceutical company was supplying medicines manufactured by other companies on its own brand name, the one in West Bengal failed to provide its supply records to the health ministry.

The health department has asked all government hospitals not to purchase medicines and drugs from both the companies.

The sources said six special teams, comprising drug inspectors from the state and the Centre, have been constituted. The teams would conduct surprise raids in various districts to curb irregularities in drug supply.

Joint secretary of health and family welfare department Rajiv Arun Ekka has directed all government-run pharmaceutical companies to set-up drug depots to avoid any discrepancy.

The pharmaceutical companies have also been asked to submit a record of drugs supplied to government hospitals on a weekly basis.

There are about 12 government-run pharmaceutical companies, including Maharashtra and Goa Anti-biotic Pharmaceutical Limited and the New Delhi-based Indian Drugs and Pharmaceutical Limited (IDPL), which supply medicines to government hospitals in the state.

East Singhbhum district drug inspector Javed-ul-Haque, who will soon lead a team to Sahebjung, said: “Even before these irregularities were detected, we were conducting raids at regular intervals to catch spurious drug suppliers and black-marketers. But now we will intensify the raids.” He said a vigilance inquiry conducted recently revealed that spurious drugs have flooded the markets in Sahebjung, Dumka, Chhatra and Ranchi.

“We will focus on these four districts from where we have received several complaints regarding spurious drugs. Later, we,will conduct raids in the remaining districts,” he said.