LAHORE: Announcing zero tolerance against spurious and substandard medicines, the caretaker Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr. Jamal Nasir said on Monday there would be no compromise on the quality of drugs.

While addressing a conference of drug inspectors from all over the province and secretaries of District Quality Control Boards (DQCBs) of all the 36 districts in Punjab, here today, the minister warned the owners of unauthorized medical stores to immediately close them down or be ready to face the consequences. “If an illegal medical store was unearthed in a city or area, the relevant drug inspector will be held responsible for it,” he declared.

The minister directed that cases pending with DQCBs up till 2019 should be decided within three months. He said that state-of-the-art equipment was being provided in drug testing laboratories to ensure supply of high quality drugs to citizens.

He directed secretaries of DQCBs to ensure transparent procurement of quality drugs for hospitals in their respective districts. He revealed that the capacity of warehouses was also being enhanced to store medicines.

Dr. Jamal Nasir said that those who manufacture, sell or facilitate spurious medicine in any form were the enemies of the entire mankind. The death of a single person due to a fake medicine was equal to the killing of the entire human race, he added. He said that the job of drug inspectors and officers was related to the life and death of people. If fake drugs were sold with their connivance, they would have to be accountable for it. Those who earn illicit profits by selling drugs in black market were guilty of ‘haram’ consumption, the minister observed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023