Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 20 Jul: Acting on the directions of the Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority, Nainital, and District Judge and Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, Dehradun, Harish Kumar Goyal, a joint surprise inspection of medical stores in Sabhawala, Bada Rampur, Chhota Rampur, Jhajra and Suddhowala was conducted today under the ‘Safe Drugs: Safe Life’ campaign.
The inspection was led by Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Dehradun, Seema Dungrakoti, in coordination with Senior Drug Inspector Manendra Singh Rana and Drug Inspector Vinod Jaguri of the Drug Administration Department.
During the inspection, the team led by Dungrakoti checked the storage and the maintenance of medicines, the statutory records, purchase and sale documents, licences, pharmacist records, expired medicines and their disposal, CCTV systems, refrigerators and other legal requirements, besides issuing necessary directions to the operators.
At Balaji Medicose in Sabawala, the pharmacist and owner were absent and only an employee was found present. The pharmacist was subsequently called to the premises. The refrigerator was extremely old and in poor condition and most of the medicines kept in it were found expired. The team seized the medicines, found excessive dirt and dust on the racks, ordered immediate closure of the store and prohibited the purchase and sale of medicines. The operator was directed to submit an explanation to the Food and Drug Administration Department (FDA) and warned that failure to provide a satisfactory explanation could lead to cancellation of the licence.
At Parv Medical Store also in Sabawala, the pharmacist and owner were present, but expired medicines were not being stored properly. Though the store authorities claimed that only the medicines with three months remaining before expiry were kept there, the team found medicines that had expired six months earlier. No satisfactory explanation was given regarding their disposal. The store had two CCTV cameras and a functioning refrigerator, but narcotic drug bills, including the bill relating to PAN-D medicine, were not produced. The store was consequently closed and the purchase and sale of medicines prohibited.
Global Pharma Distributors in Bada Rampur, a wholesale medicine distributor, was found to be comparatively compliant. Though the designated pharmacist was absent, another pharmacist was present. The premises had six CCTV cameras, were clean, no expired medicines were found and the refrigerator had a temperature display. Expired medicines were being stored properly and the operator stated that narcotic medicines were not sold. The team issued directions for continued compliance with proper storage and legal purchase and sale procedures.
At Janata Medical Store in Chhota Rampur, the pharmacist and owner were present, but expired medicines were not properly stored and the racks were extremely dirty. No satisfactory explanation was given regarding the disposal of expired medicines. The CCTV camera was not functioning and the refrigerator was defective. Several injections kept in the deep freezer had been damaged due to improper storage and were destroyed and disposed of at the spot. The store was closed and the purchase and sale of medicines prohibited by the store.
At Shambhu Medical Store in Jhajra, the owner said the store had been opened only one or two weeks earlier. No CCTV camera had been installed and there was no proper arrangement for storing expired medicines. The team directed that the store should be reopened only after all necessary arrangements had been completed and also issued instructions regarding proper medicine storage, installation of a refrigerator temperature display and compliance with statutory requirements.
At Health Care Pharmacy in Suddhowala, both the pharmacist and owner were absent and the person present had no information about them. No CCTV camera was found and the refrigerator was switched off. The store was immediately closed and the purchase and sale of medicines prohibited. The operator was directed to submit an explanation to the Food and Drug Administration Department and warned that an unsatisfactory explanation could lead to cancellation of the licence.
The inspection team also found that several other medical stores in Sabawala, Chhota Rampur, Bada Rampur, Suddhowala and Sahaspur had closed their premises after apparently learning about the inspection. The authorities said that such conduct raised questions regarding the functioning and credibility of these establishments.
Seema Dungrakoti said that no compromise with the health and life of the general public would be accepted and that all the establishments selling medicines are legally bound to comply with the prescribed rules and the statutory provisions. She appealed to the public to inform the concerned department or the District Legal Services Authority, Dehradun, about the sale of restricted medicines without a doctor’s prescription, the sale or use of expired medicines or any other irregularity at a medical store. She said that public participation was essential for building a healthy, safe and drug-free society.
