Health Department sealed unregistered medicnes factories

Lahore: A spokesman of Punjab Health Department has said that on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif action is being taken against manufacturers and sellers of substandard and spurious drugs. He said that the teams of health department raided unregistered factories on March 24 at Bank Stop Band Road and Muradabad Colony Kot Abdul Malik on March 22 and confiscated substandard medicines worth Rs.50 lakh and 20 lakh respectively besides sealing the factories after registration of FIR against the criminals.

Similarly, the drugs inspector raided a medical store near Services Hospital on March 11 and confiscated spurious drugs worth Rs.20 thousand besides sealing the medical store.

The spokesman further said that Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif had given approval to Rs.199.8 million to up-grade drug testing laboratory at Birdwood Road out of which Rs.133 million have been released. The spokesman said that equipment costing Rs.28 million has been received in the laboratory while an L/C (Letter of Credit) for import of equipment costing Rs.72 million has also been opened. This modern laboratory will be completed by 2015, the spokesman added.

The spokesman said that during 2013 DTL rejected 535 drug samples out which 31 were of spurious drugs while during the current year till March 10, 91 samples of substandard drugs have been rejected. The spokesman further said that as many as 2177 medical stores were checked by drug inspectors during current year out of which 149 have been challaned besides sealing 61 stores. The spokesman said the Health Department will continue to take quick action against manufacturers of substandard and spurious drugs.