Pilfered drugs: MSs, chief pharmacists of 3 hospitals summoned

Adviser to CM on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique directed an inquiry committee to submit a report in 72 hours

LAHORE:

The additional medical superintendents and chief pharmacists of Services Hospital, Jinnah Hospital and Lahore General Hospital have been asked to appear before a committee on Monday to explain how medicines from their stores had ended up at a wholesale medicine shop in Shadman Market.

Health Department said that a team of health officials found public hospitals’ medicines worth millions of rupees during a drugs bust at HM Javeed Traders in Shadman Market on Thursday night. Most of the medicines had been pilfered from pharmacies of Jinnah Hospital and Services Hospital.

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique directed an inquiry committee to submit a report in 72 hours.

Parliamentary Secretary Khawaja Nazir had led the raid at the pharmacy. The medicines recovered were traced to pharmacies of the three hospitals.

Jinnah Hospital MS Dr Ziaullah said the Health Department had not informed him about the case. He said the hospital’s main pharmacy closed at 3pm, “after which it is extremely hard to steal medicines from there”.

He said the medicines might have been stolen from the sub-stores opened for the morning and evening shifts. “But sub-stores carry relatively small quantities of medicines,” he said.

He said that Jinnah Hospital had been included in such inquiries before, but the hospital’s staff had been found innocent.

Lahore General Hospital MS Dr Saeed Soban said that they had already filed a complaint against four staffers who had been caught stealing medicines. He said two technicians, a laboratory assistant and a sanitary worker had nicked medicines worth Rs30,000.

Health Services DG Dr Zahid Pervez said this was not the first time such medicines had been recovered.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2015.