NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has ordered a CBI inquiry into the alleged supply of “substandard” medicines in Delhi government hospitals and whether the drugs were also distributed through Mohalla Clinics, sources said on Friday.
The probe was ordered following a recommendation by Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena in December last year. Saxena said the drugs allegedly “failed quality standard tests” and had the “potential of endangering lives” in hospitals run by the Delhi government.
The Vigilance department on Thursday revealed a nexus of fake lab tests on ghost patients at select Mohalla Clinics. The CBI is already investigating the role of Mohalla Clinics in the spurious drugs case where crucial medicines of “substandard quality” were being disbursed to patients at city governmentrun hospitals.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged the Centre was “protecting” the health secretary. “As soon as I became minister, I gave instructions to audit the medicines, but the city health secretary did not get the audit done.
We welcome the CBI investigation, but why is the Centre protecting the health secretary?” he said. The Delhi government’s Directorate of Vigilance had written to the Home Ministry requesting the probe. “It also needs to be investigated whether the same drugs which have been procured by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) are also being distributed to the patients through Mohalla Clinics,” the communication read.
Spurious drugs case
CBI is already probing the role of Mohalla Clinics in the spurious drugs case where some medicines of “substandard quality” were being disbursed at city govt-run hospitals.