The Thane unit of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has registered an FIR against three pharmaceutical dealers for supplying spurious and substandard medicines to the civic hospital run by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) in Mira Road and endangering the lives of patients.
Acting on a complaint filed by FDA inspector- Kishore Rajane, the police booked two Indore-based distributors and a local supplier under the relevant sections of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and sections 420, 467,468 and 471 of the IPC. However, no arrests have been made so far.
The FDA had randomly collected samples of some medicines from the stores of the MBMC hospital and sent it for lab testing in Mumbai. The lab test reports of the medicines which were prescribed to treat various types of bacterial infections and diarrhea, turned out to be substandard and of spurious quality.
The FDA communicated with MBMC’s health department and sourced out the name of the supplier in Bhayandar and the chain of Indore-based distributors. However, the address (printed on the labels) of the actual pharmaceutical making company in Himachal Pradesh turned out to be non-existent.
“We have cooperated with the FDA and also sent letters to the concerned suppliers intimating them about the spurious supply. Such serious lapses will not be tolerated. Necessary action will be taken in this regard.” said a senior health officer.
The action has raised a serious question mark on the quality of drugs being administered and distributed to patients from the counters of public hospitals. Meanwhile the Navghar police is conducting further investigations into the case.
