KARACHI (PPI) - For the reasons best known to the authorities of provincial health department, thousands of Primaquine tablets, used for treatment of malaria patients, donated by World Health Organisation, have directly been supplied to Executive District Officers (Health) of some districts in the province instead of handing it over to Sindh Malaria Control Programme, which is faced with shortage of such tablets. After having been learnt about direct supplies of tablets to the EDOs, the Malaria Control Programme officials are requesting them for sharing the medicine for those districts having great demand of it. The tablets were supplied to EDOs through Director General Health, Sindh, the sources said. The sources in health department of Larkana told that EDO Health has received a letter from Dr. Nahid Jamali, Director, Malaria Control Program, Hyderabad, Sindh requesting for a share from 25000 tablets provided directly to them. She stated in her letter that Malaria Control Program is facing shortage of these tablets and keeping in view the great demand from other districts, some quantity of Primaquine tablets may be provided at the earliest. When contacted, Dr Nahid Jamali, who was in Karachi for attending a meeting, confirmed the report and told PPI that WHO donated the tablets purchased from India and China but were directly dispatched to some districts. We have learnt that these tablets would expire in October, therefore we have demanded some share to use it for treating malaria patients in other districts. These tablets are not available in Pakistan despite the fact that they are used for early recovery of patient and preventing re-emergence of disease in future, she told.