Andhra Pradesh   

Closure notices to 1,243 medical shops in State

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The Government has ordered closure of 1,243 out of the 43,000 medical shops in the State after cancelling their licences as they were found selling sub-standard drugs.This follows inspection of the drugs at 29,361 shops by the Drugs Control Authorities.

Similarly, licences have been cancelled of 78 out of the 1,539 drug-manufacturing units in the State for producing sub-standard drugs. Orders have been issued for their closure.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Tuesday, Vaidya Vidhan Parishad & Hospital Services Minister Vanama Venkateswara Rao said 1,092 other manufacturing units had been prosecuted for preparing sub-standard drugs, containing “irrational combinations”.

Judgments came in with respect to 111 firms, specifying punishment to the promoters of 36 companies with jail-term up to three years and penalty up to 38,000.

The Minister said consultation of doctors or specialists at any level would be useless if the drugs consumed by the patients were sub-standard. The Government, therefore, would make all-out efforts continuously to ensure supply of standard and quality drugs at hospitals/ medical shops.

There was shortage of manpower at present and as such the task of inspecting medical shops and drug manufacturing units would be difficult. In view of this, the Government would soon recruit 100 inspectors and others adding to the existing 80 inspectors.

Mr Venkateswara Rao said the Government had also ordered closure of some private blood banks as they were found to be sub-standard .

The Minister said any information about medical shops and manufacturing companies supplying sub-standard drugs could be furnished to the Government for immediate action through the toll-free number 1056.

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