Hepatitis C vaccination programme: Mired in scandal, health dept’s initiative nosedives

Official says poor patients cannot survive if they are not provided free treatment.

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Department has suffered another blow as the scandal of substandard interferon vials jeopardises the province’s initiative to treat hepatitis.

Earlier this year, the Peshawar High Court unveiled reports of embezzlement in the provincial health department indicating billions of rupees were spent on the purchase of substandard hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapeutic drugs. The health department was later accused of purchasing 1.6 million substandard interferon vials for approximately Rs250 million from Pharmedic, a pharmaceutical company.

According to an official of the health department, all stocks across the province were seized and patients now have to buy the vials. “People who can afford the treatment would have no problem, but those who are poor will die if they cannot get the treatment for free.”



He added only a few medicines from the large stockpile were being used now.

Interferon is a recognised pharmaceutical therapy for hepatitis B, C, cancer and multiple sclerosis. A Hep-C patient requires an injection every six months along with follow-up visits to the doctor. One injection costs Rs5,000.

This was the largest free-treatment campaign with a budget of Rs500 million from the Annual Development Programme and Rs500 per injection from the Benazir Health Support Programme.

Under the programme, the health department has provided treatment to 6,000 patients in 2009-2010, 10,000 in 2010-2011 and 20,000 in 2011-2012.

Background

The anomaly first surfaced on November 15, 2011, when the Health Prevention and Control of Hepatitis K-P director general ordered all hospitals in the province to submit samples of interferon injections, 20 unit hepatitis B vaccines, 100mg Lamivudine tablets and 300mg Ribazol tablets.



After the drugs were tested, two batches of interferon were found unsatisfactory. Consequently, a show-cause notice was issued to Pharmedic Laboratories Lahore (PLL), asking it to resupply all injections in the said batches.

The preliminary inquiry report named three officials: Director General (DG) Health Services Dr Sharif Ahmad Khan, former Hepatitis Control Programme director Dr Ghulam Subhani and assistant junior clerk Mubarak Shah for allegedly acquiring the substandard vials of interferon and distributing them in government-run hospitals.

Soon after, the K-P Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) started its own inquiry and seized all stocks of interferon injections across the province. The three officials involved in the scam were charged with criminal cases.

In the proceedings held on March 6, ACE Director Syed Fayyaz Ali Shah informed the court that six deaths were suspected to be caused by the spurious drugs. The Peshawar High Court took suo motu notice and the officials were sent on physical remand.

“The Provincial Hepatitis Control Programme suffered the most as public trust in the programme nosedived, imperilling the lives of thousands of hepatitis B and C afflicted patients. It has tortured the patients who were already in the receipt of pre-hepatitis treatment and shaken their belief in the government,” stated ACE’s inquiry report.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2013.