Residents call for crackdown on spurious medicine

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): Some residents of Nimroz complain about sales of low-quality and expired medicine in Zaranj, the capital of northwestern province, urging the government to crack down on the sales of such drugs.

However, the Public Health Department promised a solution to the problem, saying all possible measures will be taken to curb the practice.

Hashmatullah Noori, an inhabitant of Chahar Burjak district who brought his ailing mother to the provincial hospital in Zaranj, grumbled about the presence of spurious and expired medicine in the market.

He said: “My mother is suffering from heart issues, diabetes and blood pressure.  Whenever I purchase medicines from pharmacies, they lack efficacy due to their inferior quality.”

He urged the government to take stringent measures to prevent the sale of low-quality drugs in the country in the interest of public health.

Mohammad Karim, a resident of Zaranj, also expressed his concern at the existence of poor-quality medicines at the city pharmacies.

He recalled: “Last week, I purchased medicine from a pharmacy in the city for my daughter, who had a cold. But her condition further worsened after she took the medicine. When I brought her to the doctor, he checked the sell-by date. He found the medicine had expired.”

He also urged the department concerned to prevent the sale of specious medicines.

Halima, another resident of Zaranj who is suffering from psychological stress, also suggested: “The pharmacies that put people’s lives at risk should be closed and wholesalers and importers of low-quality medicines should be arrested.”

Meanwhile, Public Health Director Maulvi Abdul Rahman Abdullah told Pajhwok Afghan News his department had taken serious monitoring measures to provide adequate health services to the people.

He pointed out public health supervision teams had monitored 77 pharmacies in Zaranj this year and 12 of them had been closed due to non-professionals activities, non-compliance with health standards and existence of expired medicines in the current year.

Operations of five pharmacies have been suspended. The teams also monitored grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, laboratories and heath centres in the provincial capital, he added.

Abdullah revealed that eight tonnes of low-quality and expired medicines and food had also been torched.

He explained out of 15 laboratories, one had been sealed due to non-professional activities. Three dental clinics were also sealed in compliance-with sanitary principles.

The process of monitoring of pharmacies would continue and legal action would be taken against those selling expired and poor quality drugs, the official concluded.

kk/mud