PNS|Hyderabad
In a major crackdown, the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) Telangana unearthed widespread irregularities during raids on pharmacies attached to corporate hospitals across the state on May 5. During the special drive, officers inspected 66 pharmacies and detected serious violations related to medicine storage, dispensing, and record maintenance.
In one of the biggest findings, stocks of medical devices worth Rs. 70,000 were frozen at Remedy Hospital in Kukatpally. Officials seized Biopro PRP Kits after discovering shocking lapses – the outer carton did not carry a manufacturing license number, bore two different manufacturing dates, and had inconsistent sterilization processes for the same batch. The pharmacy also failed to produce purchase or sale bills for the kits.
The drive revealed glaring issues across various pharmacies. Violations included dispensing prescription drugs without a registered pharmacist, non-maintenance of drug registers and sales bills, sale of medicines without prescriptions, stocking expired drugs alongside saleable stock, and failure to store thermolabile drugs properly.
At Life Care Pharmacy in Medak town, DCA teams found physician’s samples stored with saleable drugs, a clear breach of norms. More disturbingly, at Gemcare Poulomi Hospital’s pharmacy in Dr A S Rao Nagar, a banned drug – SUGATAB MV2 FORTE, containing Glimepiride, Metformin and Voglibose – was stocked for sale.
