MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Muzaffarabad administration has announced strict action against substandard, and expired medicines in the market.
An important meeting of distributors, wholesalers of medicines and allied materials in Muzaffarabad was held at the District Health Office. District Health Officer Muzaffarabad Dr. Nauman Manzoor Butt chaired the meeting. Deputy Drug Controller Muzaffarabad Raja Liaquat Ali Khan was also present on the occasion.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on important issues such as ensuring effective, quality, and uninterrupted supply of medicines, implementing the Drug Act and related rules and regulations, maintaining the quality of medicines, supply chain management, proper storage conditions, cold chain management, maintaining temperature during transit, selling medicines with full bill warranty, and accurate preparation of related records.
In the meeting, it was decided that Misoprostol, Pregabalin tablets, and narcotics-related medicines would only be supplied to medical stores holding Drug Sales License No. 11, and a complete record of their sales would be maintained.
District Health Officer Dr. Nauman Manzoor Butt, addressing the meeting, said that all rules and regulations issued by the government must be strictly adhered to, to ensure the provision of quality and safe medicines to the public.
Zero-tolerance policy against expired medicines
A zero-tolerance policy will be adopted against substandard, unregistered, and expired medicines, and strict legal action will be taken in case of violation.
He said that proper storage conditions for medicines and allied materials should be ensured, expired medicines should be removed from the market in a timely manner, and any kind of artificial shortage or hoarding should be avoided.
The availability of life-saving medicines will be ensured in all circumstances, and profiteering will not be tolerated at all, the meeting was told.
The District Health Officer instructed distributors and wholesalers to maintain complete and accurate records of their stock and transactions and to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities during inspection.
“Cooperation should also be ensured for the immediate destruction of medicines declared substandard by the Drug Testing Laboratory from the market.”
He said a zero-tolerance policy will be adopted against elements creating artificial shortage, and in case of violation, strict legal action will be taken, including fines, suspension, or cancellation of licences.
In the meeting, it was decided that all distributors and wholesalers would comply with laws and regulations related to medicines, completely ban the purchase and sale of substandard, expired, and unregistered medicines, ensure proper storage of medicines (temperature and cleanliness) in all circumstances, and strengthen mutual communication and coordination to improve the supply chain.
All distributors and wholesalers were mandated to maintain complete and accurate records of their stock and sales and to present them to the Drug Inspector.
The sale of medicines with an expiry of less than six months will be prohibited in the market, and expired medicines will be destroyed in a timely manner.
The provision of quality, safe, and effective medicines to the public will be ensured in all circumstances. At the end of the meeting, a commitment was expressed to make the medicine supply system in District Muzaffarabad more effective, transparent, and compliant with the law, so that the public can access the best medical facilities.
