Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two cases of substandard medicines distributed in JP Hospital have come to light. Following complaints of presence of mold in Diclofenac tablets and insect-like particles in Chlorhexidine mouthwash, health department has formed a special investigation team and initiated an inquiry into pharmacy and drug store.
The first case had surfaced on January 3 when a patient named Satish Sen alleged that the Diclofenac tablets he received from the hospital contained mold.
Three days later, on January 6, Manish complained that the Chlorhexidine mouthwash given to him for throat treatment contained insect-like particles. Following these two incidents, the health department has swung into action.
The medicines about which complaints have been made include the painkiller Diclofenac tablets and Chlorhexidine mouthwash used for throat infections. A sample of the mouthwash has been sent for lab testing to confirm the nature of the suspicious particles.
While hospital store staff say that dampness was a major problem in JP Hospital complex, the walls of the drug store and pharmacy are constantly damp and complaints about this have already been lodged with civil aurgeon's office, it is suspected that this dampness could be a major reason for the deterioration of the quality of the medicines.
Chief medical and health officer Dr Manish Sharma said, A five-member special investigation team has been constituted. This team includes officials from food and drug department (FDA) and health department employees. The team has been instructed to investigate the pharmacy, drug store, and the entire stock of medicines being given to patients at JP Hospital.
