BHUBANESWAR: The Drugs Control Administration has launched an intensified statewide enforcement drive to curb the illegal sale of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits.
Sources said coordinated raids are being conducted across all districts by assistant drugs controllers and drugs inspectors.
The enforcement teams are checking unauthorised sale of MTP kits, absence of pharmacists, non-maintenance of prescription records, illegal stocking of schedule drugs and other violations under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
As part of this statewide crackdown, more than 150 medicine stores have been raided in the last two days and several shops have been temporarily closed for serious violations. Seizures have been made wherever illegal MTP kits and unlicensed prescription medicines were detected.
Drugs controller Mamina Patnaik said the raids are being conducted following the instruction of the Health and Family Welfare department weeks after required awareness was created among the druggists and chemists.
"Show cause notices will be issued to all violators and their licences will be suspended or cancelled depending on the severity of offences," she said
Patnaik has instructed all field officers to exercise full authority against any violations and intensify strict action. She has emphasised that Odisha will observe absolute zero tolerance towards misuse of scheduled medicines without prescription and will maintain strict vigilance on habit-forming drugs, codeine-containing cough syrups and spurious drug rackets.
"The department has adopted a strict zero-tolerance approach towards unsafe and unregulated abortion practices, ensuring that such products are prescribed and dispensed only in full compliance with the law," she added.