Bandipora market floods with spurious drugs
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Official admits doctors-medical agencies nexus
Mir Tariq
Bandipora, April 6: Amidst allegations of nexus between doctors and the medical agencies, the markets here in this North Kashmir district are flooded with spurious medicines, posing grave threat to the lives of people. The assistant drug controller, Bandipora while admitting the nexus asserted that drive would be launched to get rid of spurious drugs.
People here have been complaining that some unscrupulous traders are supplying spurious and sub-standard drugs to the pharmacists in several parts of the district. “Even the doctors in government-run-hospital are prescribing substandard drugs in return of attractive gifts like car, refrigerator, LCD and washing machine,” the locals complained."The trade of spurious drugs is flourishing due to the callousness of the health officials, who are not carrying out regular checks on the drug shops in Bandipora," said Zahoor Ahmed, adding "With doctors prescribing sub-standard drugs, the standard medicines are fastly vanishing from the markets here". "Doctors in private clinics and government-run hospitals get attractive gifts in return for recommending prescriptions of sub standard drugs. The doctors are unnecessarily prescribing long list of medicines to patients," said Dr Manzoor.He added, “I was dumb-found when I saw a doctor’s prescription of a poor patient. 13 medicines were prescribed to the patient, who was suffering from dry cough". Alleging that doctors are responsible for the flooding of substandard medicines in Bandipora, a doctor pleading anonymity told rising Kashmir that substandard drug dealers have a nexus with doctors."Few medical assistants, who are posted from last 10 years in Sub District Hospital (SDH) Bandipora, enjoying political support, are making new doctors to enter into secret deals with the pharmaceutical companies selling sub standard drugs. They prescribe these drugs to get monetary benefits," a doctor said.Though none of the doctors admitted their personal involvement in the nexus, most admitted that others were involved. The patients and their attendants in SDH complained that the doctors in their waiting rooms prefer to chat with medical representative rather than sparing time for patients. Sources in the drug trade disclosed that "by prescribing a particular range of medicine from antibiotics to other life saving drugs including cough syrup doctors here in SDH earn gifts like car, refrigerator, LCD, washing machine" source said, adding "innocent and poor people are easy prey of greedy doctors, to whom these doctors prescribe long list of medicines including substandard drugs also, for a simple ailment".When contacted Director Health Kashmir, Dr Muzzafer told Rising Kashmir, "We have received similar complaints about the SDH Bandipora. I am going to visit Bandipora in next few days to discuss the problems with the concerned officials”.He added, “The department is looking into the complaints of spurious drugs available in the market. It would take some time to investigate the issue”.Assistant Drug Controller Parvaiz Ahmed told Rising Kashmir that he recently met BMO Bandipora regarding the sale of spurious drugs in the township. “He assured me that the trade of spurious drugs will be checked and a drive will be launched against the erring medical shops and pharmaceutical agencies".Admitting nexus between doctors and medical agencies, the Assistant drug controller said that he has apprised the higher authorities about the issue. “I have written to them about the issue and hope to receive their direction in this regard soon,” added Parvaiz.