
BENGALURU: In the wake of the recent deaths of five women in Ballari due to procedural lapses, the state government on Sunday constituted a verification team led by an IAS officer. The team will investigate irregularities in drug procurement by the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) and also prevent any recurrence.
The team will investigate the violations and recommend necessary reforms in the existing system. The move follows a committee meeting on December 5, chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner. The committee reviewed violations in the procurement of medicines through tender, as well as submission of medicine samples to empanelled laboratories. It also discussed the role of KSMSCL officials and fixing of responsibilities of officials.
The verification team will be headed by Karnataka Skill Development Corporation Managing Director M Kanagavalli, and includes Assistant Drug Controller Venkatesh, microbiologist at Bangalore Medical College Dr Aseema Banu, and a senior professor of pharmacology, nominated by the Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).
The team has been tasked with submitting a detailed report within five days, outlining the lapses in procurement and testing procedures and recommending corrective actions.
The team will analyze the entire process, starting from issuing of the purchase order for 196 batches of intravenous fluid Ringer’s Lactate, up to November 30, 2024. They will investigate any procedural lapses at KSMSCL and fix accountability for the failures. They will also review the current procedures at KSMSCL, comparing them to standard practices. The team will specifically focus on the empanelment of laboratories, testing of drug samples, and handling of batches that fail quality tests, to identify any gaps in compliance with established protocols.
The team will also examine the practices of best performing states, such as Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, regarding drug procurement, quality testing, and reporting of adverse effects, in order to identify areas where KSMSCL can improve.
The team will seek inputs from the RGUHS vice-chancellor or designated representative, to suggest an effective SOP (standard operating procedure) for public health facilities to follow in future.
No funds for quality drugs, Joshi slams govt
Hubballi: The State Government has gone bankrupt both financially and intellectually, claims Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi. He told reporters in Hubballi on Sunday that the state treasury is empty, leaving no funds to procure quality medicines.
Instead, the government is purchasing medicines from substandard suppliers, which he attributed as the cause of maternal deaths in Ballari. Joshi expressed anger, stating that government hospitals are running out of medicines, forcing doctors to prescribe drugs which patients have to buy outside. “This Congress State Government has brought the state to such a deplorable condition,” he said.
On the Ballari incident, Siddaramaiah said there was no scam in the purchase of medicines and all necessary measures are being taken to address the issue.