The Kashmir Scenario Exclusive
It is well said that the quality is not an accident; it is hard work, teamwork, and commitment to excellence but in Kashmir quality seems accident. In earlier times, Kashmir was branded, as a land where sick men would congregate from other areas and go back healthy and fit. So surfacing of spurious drug scam has not only polluted its natural ambiance and equilibrium but has equally vitiated the ergonomics of trust reposed by its people in a profession held sacred and noble by them. Kashmir’s sacred land today is calling upon international organizations including WHO and its own government to come forward and collectively address the menace of fake drugs.
The scam came to light when the state’s Drug’s and Food Control Department discovered that Maximizin- 625, an antibiotic that is administered within hours of surgery, was fake. The antibiotic, which was supplied to hospitals in the Valley last year by Jammu-based distributor Life Line Pharmaco, contained zero milligrams of Amoxicillin instead of 500 milligrams as claimed by the company.
Incidentally, the test was examined last July, but the results were made public sometime back, which means the antibiotic continued to be in circulation until then. Following random laboratory tests, around 43 drugs sold in the Valley were found to be either spurious or substandard.
The scam was in news since few months and investigation is still on. But the other part of story is yet to disclose. Pertinently, the sections of civil society and media have unfortunately portrayed story in a lopsided manner.
In this regard the facts are startling, Former Health minister, Mr. Sham Lal Sharma, who has clearly come out clean after investigations had clearly stated that he has set up four-purchase committee of Health and Medical Education Department. Principal /Dean Medical College, Srinagar, Dean/Principal Medical College Jammu, Dean Government Dental College, Srinagar and Director Indian System of Medicine were chairmen of these purchase committees. And more than 20 members are in committee whom shall be responsible for invitation of tenders, preparation of comparative statements and finalization of individual or rate contracts in accordance with the procedure as laid down in J&K Financial Code and other rules and regulations. Government instructions issued from time to time with special reference to quality, standards, specification and reasonableness of prices, after making proper assessment of the requirements as projected through their indents by respective purchase officers/heads of departments/institutions and short listing of items for purchase so as to obviate multiplicity of approvals of items of similar formulations/nature.
According to previous data on spurious and non-standard quality Drugs, Kashmir’s has less number of Spurious/adulterated drugs as comparable to other states in the country. In 2009-2010, the number of drugs sample tested at Andhra Pradesh was 4647, 97 of which was declared not of standard quality , one was declared spurious and only that one was launched for prosecution, around 573 (in lakhs) value of drugs was seized. While as in J&K, 1245 were sample tested from which 36 were declared not of standard quality.
But the manner in which under the influence of few vested interests the story was projected it just looked to be an effort to character assassinate a particular person rather than to tackle this serious issue in a fair manner. Realities demand in line of the above facts to handle this serious issue in an unbiased and impartial manner.