FIA expands stents investigation to major cities

Official says more than 100 unregistered companies working seamlessly


Ali Ousat January 23, 2017
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has extended its investigation to other cities after initial findings of the unregistered stents scam.

A source inside the FIA said on Monday that the agency expanded its scope to other cities such as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Peshawar.

“Today, we questioned customs officers and cardiology professors to determine the different routes to smuggle these medical devices,” he said.

He disclosed that the health mafia, according to the initial investigation, was not only supplying unregistered medical devices to Lahore, but other parts of the country. “More than 100 companies, unregistered by Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, are functioning seamlessly across the country.”

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When contacted, DRAP Chief Executive Dr Aslam Afghani confirmed the regulatory authority also extended its investigation to other cities. He said some portions of the FIA’s findings had been proved as certain.

“However, it is too early to say anything about the investigation” he said. “Let the FIA complete its work and then we will be able to disclose the findings into the public.”

The mafia

A source at the Mayo Hospital Lahore said this entire episode involved a war of the health mafia which was trying to increase the sale of their products at exorbitant rates. He added certain officials of DRAP played an active role in highlighting this problem.

“Everyone can see that prices of registered stents and medical items are extraordinary when compared to manufacturing countries,” he said. “On the other hand, there are no uniform rates of medical devices in Pakistan.”

He pointed out that some medical devices awaiting registration were not only cheap, but also of good quality.

The official found it ironic that DRAP has shelved the applications of such products for a long time, adding it raises several questions.

DRAP involvement

Meanwhile, YDA office bearer Dr Salman Kazmi, who put forward an application to the FIA to include names of DRAP employees, claimed the investigative authority had already started a probe against these officials.

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Dr Kazmi stated that the investigation cannot be compromised in any way. “Those involved in the mega scandal should be in jail,” he added.  He also questioned the absence of a list of the names and prices of registered items.

Replying to a question, the doctor added it was the responsibility of the FIA to start an investigation against those involved.

“We are not pointing fingers at DRAP officials exclusively, but want the process of the investigation to be transparent so that real culprits are arrested.”

DRAP CEO Dr Aslam Afghani said certain elements wanted to add the names of his organisation’s officials to the FIA list.

He claimed that these people were involved in corruption and wanted to put the investigation process off track. “Our hands are clean,” Afghani concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2017.

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