Delhi Vigilance Dept calls for CBI probe into suspected spurious drugs

New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) The Delhi government's Directorate of Vigilance has sent the matter of suspected spurious drugs to the Union Home Ministry, urging a thorough investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Directorate of Vigilance, in a formal letter to the Union Home Ministry on Thursday, said, "Assigning the matter if reported supply of not of standard quality drugs to hospital of Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to CBI."

This move follows concerns raised about the alleged distribution of substandard drugs to hospitals under the GNCTD.

YVVJ Rajashekhar, the Delhi Special Secretary for Vigilance, had earlier written to the Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant, urging immediate action against the use of "substandard" drugs in government health facilities.

The letter emphasised the need to remove these drugs promptly and called for the confiscation of documents detailing the manufacturers and suppliers responsible for the distribution of potentially counterfeit drugs.

"I am further directed to state that any action for supplying such kind of "Not of Standard Quality" drugs should not be confined to Central Procurement Agency (CPA) and there is a need to investigate the entire supply chain viz. role of suppliers who procured from the manufacturers and provided supply to the end users i.e. hospitals (patients). Besides, there is a need to lift the corporate veil to understand the gravity and motives of supplying "Not of Standard Quality" drugs," the letter said.

"In this context, it is not out of place to mention that the matter of "Mohalla Clinics" was already entrusted to the CBI and preliminary enquiry (PE) was also registered dated February 13, 2018. It needs to be investigated whether the same drugs which have been procured by CPA are also being distributed to the patients through "Mohalla Clinics" or not," it added.

"It is accordingly requested that the matter be assigned to CBI for further investigation," it said.

Earlier, on December 23, Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena has recommended for a CBI enquiry in the matter of non-standard drugs procured and supplied in Delhi government hospitals.

According to officials, the L-G recommended CBI enquiry in the matter of non-standard drugs procured and supplied in Delhi government hospitals.

On December 24, the Delhi Vigilance Secretary wrote to Health Secretary asking him to remove all the 'non-standard medicines' to be seized and removed from stock of the hospitals and to not make any further payments to such companies.

In his letter to the Health Secretary, Rajashekhar in reference to various lab reports submitted by Delhi Drugs Testing Laboratory and also other reports submitted by government-approved private laboratories over the 'Not of Standard Quality Drugs'.

He had asked the Health Secretary to ensure that all such drugs which have failed the prescribed norms should be immediately quantified and seized as per due process of law on war footing.