VEHARI, Nov 2: The health department has reportedly supplied spurious medicines to the District Headquarters Hospital, Burewala and Mailsi tehsil headquarters hospitals, 10 rural health centres and various drug stores.

The district administration announced provision of medicines worth Rs10.23 million to the three hospitals and the RHCs. Subsequently, over Rs1 million worth medicines were provided to these hospitals and the health centres as first consignment.

The hospitals got the samples of these medicines tested from an official laboratory in Lahore, which declared these unfit for use.

When contacted, EDO (health) Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry told this correspondent that the medicines were supplied before laboratory test. He said he had brought the matter into the notice of the department higher-ups and directed that the entire lot should be returned.

The EDO also claimed to have asked the doctors at the these hospitals not to prescribe these medicines, and these had been kept in stores.

However, this correspondent found the stock being sold at some of the rural health centres. The paramedical staff claimed that they had not received any instruction from the health authorities about these medicines.

The medical stores are also selling these medicines without any check by the district health officer. They, too, claimed that they had not been informed that these medicines were not fresh.

The EDO also claimed to have directed the medicine company concerned to provide alternative medicines or return the amount within 15 days.