Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday ordered the Health Department officials to conduct raids on the wholesalers and retailers of drugs and even owners of pharma units across the State.
Singh told officials that anybody playing with the lives of patients will be dealt with severely. The Chief Minister said that officers of the concerned departments will also not be spared.
“There should not be any compromise on the quality of drugs on the part of manufacturers, wholesale dealers and retailers,” he said.
Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr Alok Shukla in a video-conference with all district Collectors and Chief Medical and Health Officers (CMHOs ) in Bilaspur asked them to be vigilant.
He asked them to curb the menace of fake and sub-standard drugs in the entire State.
The Health Department officials have banned the drugs manufactured by Messrs Mahavar Pharma Private limited, Kamhardih, Raipur, with immediate effect. Many patients fell ill after consuming the drugs manufactured by the company in Bilaspur, an official Press release issued here stated.
Controller of Food and Drugs Administration Ravi Prakash Gupta in a circular has asked the district Collectors to stop the sale of drugs of the banned company in their area of jurisdiction. The banned drugs should be sealed soon.
The District Collector should immediately send a report to the concerned authorities, he said.
It should be ensured that the M/s Mahavar Pharma drugs are not used in the Government hospitals in the entire State. The Collectors should inspect all the private hospitals in the districts and see that the banned drugs are not still in use, Gupta said.
The Controller of Food and Drugs Administration in a separate order said that the ban on drugs of Mahavar Pharma will be in force till further orders. The concerned Health Department officials have started conducting raids on all the medical shops in the entire State. The Collectors have started taking meetings with medical shop owners.
Bilaspur Collector Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi in a meeting with chemists and druggists instructed them not to sell the drugs of the banned company.
Raids were conducted in Raigarh, Dhamtari, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Sukma and other districts.
In Raipur, officials conducted a raid on chemist shop in Mowa. Meanwhile, Jashpur Collector Himshikhar Gupta in an appeal urged the citizens not to buy the banned drug-Ciprocin 500 mg and other medicines of Mahavar Pharma.