Medicines meant for free distribution among patients at government hospitals and health centres have now flooded the pharmacies of the port city.
According to data provided by the Chittagong district administration, as many as 89 mobile courts in the city conducted drives from July 8 till October 19 this year.
The mobile courts sentenced 89 errant drugstores with Tk9,18,500. The mobiles courts also sealed off 21 pharmacies and jailed three people.
On October 6, a mobile court sentenced Anik Barua, the owner of Janakalyan Pharmacy, to imprisonment for six months for selling government medicines. The mobile court also sealed off his errant drugstore.
Sources said Runa Barua, wife of Anik Barua, works as a senior staff nurse at Faujdarhat TB Hospital. However, she supplied her husband’s pharmacy with government medicines after procuring them from the government hospital. Anik Barua confessed to his wife having supplied the medicines to him.
The local administration has lodged a complaint with the Directorate General of Health Services to take necessary action against the corrupt nurse.
Executive Magistrate of Chittagong district administration Mohammed Ruhul Amin said they learned that government medicines were being sold in 50 pharmacies in the port city.
“This is very alarming. Even pharmacies next to Chittagong Medical College Hospital were found selling government medicines on a large scale,” he added.
Dr Mohammed Azizur Rahman Siddique, civil surgeon of Chittagong, said he had already asked his subordinates to prepare a list of staff of drugstore owners affiliated with the Chittagong Civil Surgeon office.
“The government allocates medicines to government hospitals to distribute them among patients free of cost. It is a punishable offence to sell or buy medicines meant for free distribution. The masses should be aware that medicines tagged with red and green colours are meant for free distribution,” said the civil surgeon.
There are 14 upazila health complexes, 72 union health centres and nine urban dispensaries under Chittagong Civil Surgeon office, and 133 union health and family welfare centres under the Family Planning Department.
“No expensive medicine, except Paracetamol, is available in the government hospitals. Therefore, patients are compelled to buy the medicines meant for free distribution from outside the government hospitals. On the contrary, the medicines meant for free distribution are widely available in the drugstores and the drug traders foist them on the customers. A section of unscrupulous staff of the government hospitals are involved in supplying the medicines to the pharmacies,” said SM Nazer Hossain, president of the Chittagong Division of Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh.
Welcoming the ongoing drives by the mobile courts against the errant pharmacies, consumer rights activists said the easy availability of counterfeit medicines and medicines meant for free distribution has reduced to a great extent due to the stern action taken by the Chittagong district administration.
“It is the Directorate General of Drug Administration which is supposed to take the lead in this regard. However, it is a matter of great regret that the particular agency vested with the authority of checking malpractice is in deep slumber. We expect the agency to be more proactive regarding this burning issue,” said Nazer.
Samir Kanti Shikder, the Chittagong chapter President of Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Association, however declined to make a comment in connection with the ongoing mobile courts against errant pharmacies in the port city.