Jaipur : Medicines worth crores of rupees are being given free to lakhs of people under the ‘Free Medicine Scheme’ in Rajasthan. The plan sounds very good, but the truth behind it is very ‘bitter’. From 2019 to June 2024, 795 samples of medicines related to cancer, blood, heart and antibiotics have failed. The worrying situation is that by the time the drug department takes the samples and the investigation report comes, lakhs of people have consumed the medicines. Here, the department has filed only 12 percent of the cases in the name of action. In these also nominal licenses were suspended. Due to lack of strictness in rules and negligence of officials, samples of medicines supplied through RMSCL failed. To bring out the truth, the data of five years was scrutinized. Most of the medicines are made in Baddi. Samples of medicines related to heart and blood have failed the most. The samples of medicines including pain killer, antibiotic, steroid, anti emetic, hormonal, cancer, lungs also did not pass the test.
1 lakh tablets in one batch, consumed till the report comes
It takes about a month from sample collection to report. In such a situation, bad medicines reach the patients from the drug warehouse and hospital. One batch contains at least one lakh tablets.
Samples of expensive medicines are not taken
Samples of expensive medicines supplied in RMSCL are hardly taken. Reason…Injections and tablets for diseases like cancer cost between one to three lakh rupees. Now, if a sample of even a medicine has to be taken, the full amount has to be deposited.
RMSCL conducts testing of all medicines. Only after passing they are sent to hospitals. Drug control officers take samples from drug stores and hospitals. Their report also comes to RMSCL. If the report shows that the medicine is non-standard, its use is stopped and the stock is rejected. Debarring and financial proceedings are taken against the firm as per the tender conditions. The Drug Control Department takes legal action.
91 medicines made in Rajasthan and 27 medicines made in Delhi NCR failed
Investigation revealed that maximum 338 (42%) samples of medicines manufactured in Himachal Pradesh and 134 samples of Uttarakhand failed. 91 samples from Rajasthan, 51 from Gujarat and 27 from Delhi-NCR have failed. 154 samples from other states including Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir have failed. Despite samples failing every month, the department is not taking strict action. It can be estimated from this that in five and a half years, cases were filed in 12 percent of the cases. Some licenses were suspended for 90 days. These also include distributors’ licenses.
