LAHORE - Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Kh Salman Rafiq has said that that campaign against spurious drugs would continue till complete eradication of this heinous business.
Briefing media about one month performance of CM’s Taskforce on Spurious Drugs at office of Director General Health Services Punjab on Tuesday, he said that amended draft of Drug Act has been introduced to ensure strict punishment and heavy fines on the elements involved in business of spurious drugs. Parliamentary Secretary Health and Chairman CM’s Taskforce on Spurious Drugs Kh Imran Nazir, Chief Drug Controller Dr Zaka-ur-Rehman, Secretary Punjab Quality Control Board Azhar Saleemi, Director DTL Lahore and drug inspectors were also present.
Kh Salman Rafiq said that medicines for government hospitals would be purchased through central contract policy from pre-qualified firms from next fiscal year. He said that drug testing laboratories of Faisalabad and Rawalpindi would start functioning from June 2015. He said that DTL of Multan and Bahawalpur have already started functioning which would reduce the time period of laboratory analysis of medicines.
Kh Imran Nazir said that the drug squads of health department seized medicines worth Rs150 million during raids at 25 different places in Lahore, Faisalabad, Chiniot and Okara. He said that 22 FIRs have been registered and 15 were arrested during the ongoing campaign. He said that special squad recovered huge consignment of smuggled medicines during raid on a house in Karim Block Allama Iqbal Town last day.
He said that approximate value of recovered medicines and material was over Rs350 million. He said that the recovered items included injections, medicines and lenses used in eye operations.
He said that these medicines and lenses were repacked in the name of high quality brands. He said that four people have been arrested from the premises. He said that a senior police officer would be attached with the drug squad to provide security to the raiding party and media persons.