'Govt blindly buying substandard drugs'

Leader of the Opposition H D Kumaraswamy has alleged that though a number of government hospitals are supplying people with spurious and substandard drugs, the Health and Family Welfare department has turned a blind eye to the problem.

In an eight-page letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he has alleged that several private drug manufacturing companies are supplying substandard drugs to the department. The companies are hand-in-glove with the department officials. Though the issue has ben brought to the notice of the department on several occasions, nothing has been done, he charged.

Kumaraswamy has mentioned names of many drugs and companies which manufacture them in the letter. Iron tablets – Polyfol Forte – being manufactured by Quest Laboratories Pvt Ltd has failed to pass the requisite quality tests in the laboratory for 21 times. Still the company continues to supply the tablet which is in turn being supplied to children and pregnant women, he alleged.

Similarly, Glibenclamide tablets being manufactured by Embiotic Laboratories are supplied to government hospitals. But one of two laboratories which conducted the quality test has not approved it. The department has not obtained the test report though Intervet International has been supplying Buserelin Acetate Injection since 2002, he alleged.

The JD(S) leader alleged that drugs meant to be supplied to poor patients in government hospitals are being illegally diverted to private medical stores. “When the patients approach government hospitals, they are told that there is no supply. The department officials have connived with middlemen to misuse the drugs,” he charged.
Dengue

Kumaraswamy alleged the department officials have been misleading the government on dengue fever in the State. Though the fever has wreaked havoc in several parts of the State, the department officials have been claiming that only 11 people have died so far. Moreover, the department has failed to distribute compensation to the victims.

He has also drawn the chief minister’s attention towards a large number of vacancies in the Health department and problems in implementing Yeshasvini health scheme and urged him to take immediate steps to address these problems.