Mostafizur Rahman, a carpenter by profession, lives in Bhatbaur village of Sadar upazila. On Wednesday, he was in desperate need of a doctor for his three-year old son who suddenly started suffering from acute stomach pain which was getting worse.
Frightened, the carpenter rushed to the nearby pharmacy (Moina pharmacy) which is run by a MBBS doctor named Nazim Uddin.
After buying medicine from the pharmacy, prescribed by the doctor, Mostafizur returned home with the hope of relieving his son from pain.
However, when Mostafizur was about to administer the medicine to his son, he noticed the medicine was already expired.
On Friday, he filed a complaint by his mobile phone to the assistant director of Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) in Manikganj.
As soon as the complaint was filed, on Saturday morning, DNCRP Assistant Director Asaduzzaman Romel directed by Manikganj Deputy Commissioner SM Ferdous, conducted a raid to the pharmacy, which opened a Pandora's Box of irregularities of Dr Nazim Uddin
Assistant Director Asaduzzaman found most of the medicines stored in the pharmacy are expired and owner Nazim Uddin, who completed only his SSC (Secondary School Certificate) has been treating patients and prescribing medicine as a certified doctor for 25 years.
Subsequently, the officer seized the expired medicines, fined Tk25,000 to Nazim and sealed off his pharmacy.
Regarding the matter, Asaduzzaman Romel said Nazim Uddin was treating patients and prescribing medicines without medical certificate for 25 years which is absolutely illegal in the eye of law.
For this reason, we have taken legal actions, added the officer.