LAHORE: Just when patients thought it couldn’t get any worse after the stents scam, it has emerged that there are around 10,000 other medical devices, equipment and drugs which are unregulated or unregistered by the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan (DRAP).
Blood pressure operators, thermometers, stethoscope, ventilators, AMI machines, syringes, ultrasound machines, endoscopy machine, CT scan and ENT equipment, plus dental kits, are some of those unregistered items openly used at major government and private hospitals.
“Of course, these mafias are playing with the lives of human beings by using unregistered devices right under the noses of the health department,” commented Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum President Noor Muhammad Mehar.
He said at least 700 applications for registration are pending on DRAP’s table and officials usually throw them into the dustbin by issuing false allegations. “This paves the way for the underground drug mafia to function. Most of the applications, which are pending at DRAP, comply with Pakistan’s drug laws,” he said. “Why are they not being registered?”
DRAP to the rescue?
When contacted, DRAP CEO Dr Aslam Afghani agreed there are many health devices and drugs that are unregistered. Afghani claimed the authority had already formed a committee to root out the whole mafia, which he said were acting like pickpockets by selling low quality items to the poor people of Punjab.
“We only register those companies which are already registered in the UK and European Union, otherwise we refuse,” he said. “If they have permits to function in those regions, there is no hurdle in the way of their registration.” He said if they are not registered, it clearly indicates that the product is below international standards.
Replying to a question about the stent scandal, he said it is the biggest in the history of Punjab and millions of rupees were being minted under the table. The CEO was confident that the DRAP investigative committee would uncover the whole mafia soon.
“I agree that all the big fish of the health industry are involved in this scandal. Otherwise, the mafia would not be able to sell these items in the hallways of major hospitals.”
Progress so far
On Thursday, the FIA submitted a preliminary report to its Director General on the stents issue. It said old patients, who had an angioplasty done from Mayo Hospital Lahore, were being called via telephone and transported to the CM Secretariat for the inquiry. A source told at the Mayo Hospital told The The Express Tribune that 20 registers were taken from the cardiology department of the medical facility.
On the other hand, well-placed sources in the FIA told The Express Tribune that the authority was yet to send samples to the Provincial Quality Control Board (PQCB) as the agency wanted to complete its own investigation.
PQCB Secretary Saeed Abid, when contacted, also said the department was not able to send its report to the drug court as it was yet to receive details from the FIA.
He said an FIR should have been registered against all the accused in this case and sent to the PQCB’s drug inspector. Abid said this would help establish wrongdoings and enable the board to send information to the drug court. He added this would allow the court to arrest and punish the big fish involved in the mega scandal.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 21st, 2017.
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