HYDERABAD: A day after the Gandhi General Hospital was exposed for administering the expired medicines to the children, the latest report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found that there is a possibility of mixing up of expired and unexpired drugs at Central Medicine Stores (CMSs) in the state.
The CAG observed that in CMS, Warangal, due to non-disposal of expired drugs and the existing space constraint, the expired drugs were kept along with other regular drugs and medicines.
Hence, the possibility of mixing up the expired drugs and medicines with the regular medicines (intended for distribution of various health facilities), impacting adversely on patient healthcare, could not be ruled out.
The CAG also observed that expired drugs worth Rs 1.21 crore were lying at all the 10 Central Medicine Stores (CMSs) in the state without being disposed.
The CAG’s audit methodology involved scrutiny of records relating to procurement and distribution at State Secretariat and Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) for 2014-16 and at Central Medicine stores and 28 sampled health centres in Adilabad, Hyderabad and Warangal for 2011-16.
The CAG in its report on ‘General and Social Sector’ stated that due to inadequate pre-despatch quality testing of drugs (even in case of vital medicines) and surgical items through empanelled laboratories, there was no assurance that all the batches of all drugs and surgical items procured were undergoing quality control testing before they were distributed to health facilities and that standard/quality medicines were being issued to patients as stipulated in the procurement policy. Against 635 items of essential drugs identified in the state, no arrangements were made for procurement of 237 items.
Further, 197 purchases costing Rs 12.17 crore placed during 2014-17 were not executed by the supplier firms which was condemned.