Rajasthan govt orders enquiry into illegal sale of cancer injections

Jaipur, Aug 19 (IANS) Rajasthan Health Minister, Gajendra Singh, has taken serious note of the alleged illegal sale in Delhi of cancer injections originally supplied through Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL) to the Government Cancer Hospital in Bikaner, which is a major cancer treatment centre in North India.

The Minister has directed officials to conduct a factual enquiry into the entire matter.

He said that black marketing or unauthorised sale of expensive, life-saving medicines supplied for the treatment of patients in government hospitals would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

He directed RMSCL and the officials concerned to immediately examine the complete supply chain, including stock registers, indents, dispatch records and hospital-level distribution records, to establish the facts and identify any discrepancies.

The Minister said that if the enquiry establishes any irregularity, negligence or collusion at any stage of the government medicine supply process, strict action would be taken as per the applicable rules.

Accountability will also be fixed on the officials and employees found responsible. The Minister emphasised that the state government is committed to ensuring quality treatment and uninterrupted access to essential medicines for patients.

He said that the availability, distribution and proper use of expensive medicines required for the treatment of serious diseases such as cancer was being regularly monitored.

He said that necessary action in the present case would be taken on the basis of the findings of the enquiry.

The Minister also instructed officials to further strengthen the government medicine supply and distribution system and make it more transparent, accountable and robust.

There was a major stir when government-issued injections, provided free of charge to patients with advanced cancer at the institute in Bikaner, were found on the black market in Delhi.

The Inter-State Cell of the Delhi Police Crime Branch had uncovered a racket involving the black marketing of expensive cancer injections. Police arrested the accused and seized 22 vials.

These include four vials sent as part of a government stock supplied to a cancer hospital in Bikaner.

–IANS

arc/rad