Medication Quality Fiasco Hits Delhi Government Hospitals: Critical Drugs Fail Quality Tests

Medication Quality Fiasco Hits Delhi Government Hospitals: Critical Drugs Fail Quality Tests

VoM News Desk | December 28, 2023 | 03:40 PM IST | Breaking News, Health | Follow on Google News

Medication Quality Fiasco Hits Delhi Government Hospitals: Critical Drugs Fail Quality Tests/ Mint

Medication Quality Fiasco Hits Delhi Government Hospitals: Critical Drugs Fail Quality Tests

A disturbing revelation has emerged regarding the quality of life-saving drugs supplied to various government hospitals in Delhi. Shockingly, crucial medications vital for treating ailments like epilepsy, hypertension, infections, and even COVID-19 have reportedly failed mandatory quality standards.

Reports from both government and private labs revealed the failure of several drugs. Out of 43 samples tested in government labs, three failed, while 12 reports were still pending.

In private labs, five out of 43 samples failed quality tests, prompting the Vigilance Department’s recommendation to immediately halt the supply of these drugs to Delhi government hospitals.

The impacted drugs include widely used medications like Cephalexin for lung and urinary tract infections, Dexamethasone to address severe lung inflammation, Amlodipine for managing hypertension, Levetiracetam to treat epilepsy, and Pantoprazole for heartburn and reflux diseases. Sodium valproate, crucial for epilepsy management, was among those found to be spurious during quality examinations at the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory in Chandigarh.

In response to this alarming situation, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI investigation into the alleged supply of substandard drugs, emphasizing the risk these medications pose to patients’ lives in Delhi government hospitals.

The Directorate of Vigilance urged the health secretary to prevent payments to firms supplying these failed drugs, demanding immediate seizure and removal of these medications from hospital stocks.

Moreover, there’s a call for precise identification of the drugs and clarity on when they were procured for supply.

This critical situation demands swift action to safeguard the health and well-being of patients, underscoring the urgency to address and rectify the concerning quality lapses in the procurement and supply of essential medicines to Delhi government hospitals.

VoM News Desk

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