Lack of training, insufficient manpower and chronic corruption plague the relevant organisations
ISLAMABAD: Fake doctors and fake medicines flood various districts of Sindh without check. My home district of Larkana also suffers from this problem. Dozens of fake doctors and fake medicines that include cough syrups, anti-malarial medicines, antibiotics and even contraceptives are found in abundance, be it any city, town or village of Larkana. Numerous patients die premature deaths every month due to fake drugs. People from all age groups, including children and pregnant women, have been maimed or suffered mental breakdowns in villages Umar Bhayo, Taluko Bakrani and Dokri due to the overdose of counterfeit medicines prescribed by quacks and also because of the use of contaminated syringes and other equipment. There is no proper licensing and regulation of drugs in Sindh. Lack of training, insufficient manpower and chronic corruption plague the relevant organisations, both at the federal and provincial levels.
Furthermore, drug inspectors, among other relevant persons, frequently accept kickbacks to allow fake drugs to flood the market, but who cares, especially in a country where the proverbial ‘merchants of death’ are more influential because they have money. Money talks in this country while the truth is conveniently silenced.
Hashim Abro
Published in The Express Tribune, August 22nd, 2015.
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