Belthangady: Distribution of Stale Medicine at Chinkungunya Camp Worries People
Daijiworld Media Network - Belthangady (SP)
Belthangady, Jun 20: People of Mundaje village and surrounding places have become apprehensive of health hazards the medicines past their expiry dates, distributed to them recently, might pose at a chikungunya check-up camp.
The people are a worried lot after they came to know that many of the tablets that were distributed at the free chikungunya check-up camp held at Mundaje on Tuesday June 17 in association with Guruvayankere Nagarika Seva Trust, Mangalore KMC Hospital and Mundaje primary health centre, were stale, going by the expiry dates printed on them.
People in large numbers have been taking part in the chikungunya camps being held at various places because of the larege scale havoc the disease has created in the district. Most of the medicines given at the said camp had expiry dates of April and May 2008. Many people had consumed the medicines without inspecting the expiry dates. After realising that the medicines were old, they are now worried about the impact the tablets on their health. After a person named Ayub Ali Kunhi from Mundaje noticed the expiry date of the tablets given to him, others started examining the medicines given to them.
When some media persons visited Mundaje on Thursday June 19, a large crowd of enraged people came up with various complaints about the negligence of the medical officer of the health centre. As per sources in the health department, these tablets had not been supplied to it for the last six months. Many of the tablets given to people had become discoloured and emitted foul odour.
Some pesons having knowledge of medicines said, that the tablets had been dispensed at the camp without taking care. Some tablets so given were in no way connected with chikungunya treatment, they claimed. These tablets can have side affects and the medicines given on Tuesday did not improve the health of chikungunya affected, they complained. But the doctor at the centre has flatly refuted the allegations. "Just because of some patients hold expired tablets is not proof that we had given them,: he argued. He also disassociated himself from the incident.
The aggrieved also pointed out gross irregularities in distribution of rice to chikungunya affected here, as the list was not drawn properly. They have asked for distribution of rice to all the chikungunya affected and demanded for steps to ensure that expired medicines are not distributed in camps being held at other places. The taluk medical officer has visited the village.
Controller of Medicines from the district health department Dr Ansari visited Mundaje primary health centre and verified the stock of medicines there.