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| August 17, 2006 | Thursday | Rajab 21, 1427 |
Quality of relief goods questioned
ISLAMABAD, Aug 16: United Nations agencies have refused to allow the local authorities to test the quality of supplies of medicines and foodstuff for the earthquake-hit areas lying in their warehouses, sources say.
The drug and food authorities in the affected areas of Kashmir and the NWFP have raised questions over the quality of food and medicines being supplied by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
They allege that the consignments violate international and local quality standards and contain expired food items and medicines. They have also started efforts for holding a judicial inquiry into the matter.
Sources said that Bagh District Food and Drug Inspector Waseem Khan had taken into possession unbranded life-saving drugs, anti-toxins, vaccines and essential medicines during inspections, some of which has been proven as ‘spurious’ by laboratory test.
They said the inspector had been stopped from examining a WHO warehouse from where the medicines were supplied to various hospitals in Bagh. Some life-saving drugs and essential medicines provided by the WHO to various hospitals and dispensaries had been proven to be substandard, they said.
Mr Khan said he had fulfilled his duty and informed the deputy commissioner, the health secretary and other authorities concerned about the issue.
The sources said local authorities in other earthquake-hit areas were never allowed to check the WHO warehouses or collect samples from there for testing.
“We have sent samples of some essential drugs to Belgium with the help of Medicines Sans Frontiers for laboratory tests,” Bagh District Headquarters Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Attique told Dawn. He said results of the tests were due in September.
When asked why the medicines were still being used when the hospital was not sure about their standard, he said: “We don’t have any other options.”
Complaints of gastro-enteritis, allergies and memory loss, which are common in the affected areas and have so far been attributed to contaminated water and the psychological effects of the earthquake, are now commonly believed to be the side effects of spurious food items and medicines.
The cases of gastro-enteritis have reached such an alarming level that many hospitals, including the Bagh DHQ hospital, have set up separate camps for patients suffering from it.
Doctors believe the long-term repercussions of the use of such medicines and food items could include kidney and heart diseases.
Official sources also reported supply of unbranded cooking oils to the affected people by various donor countries, besides biscuits and flour of questionable quality.
They said the DC had held a meeting with representatives of various UN agencies and non-government organisations involved in the distributions of food and medicines over the issue.
Labels on cans of soya cooking oil, a gift from Canada, do not mention the names of the manufacturers, their principal addresses, ingredients and even weight and the expiry dates.
Similarly, labels of containers of Pakwaan cooking oil, carrying the name of the Japanese government and another type of vegetable oil in gallons under the nameplate of the United States Agency for International Development also lack the information.
The labels on boxes containing high-energy biscuits do not mention the name of the brand or other necessary information.
The sources said health authorities in the affected areas had time and again informed the WHO and the WFP about the quality issue but to no avail.
When contacted, Dr Khalid Saeed Bukhari, in charge, essential drugs and medicine of the WHO, said the organisation was implementing its guidelines. Except for a few complaints in the early days of relief activities about the quality of medicines, everything was perfect, he claimed.
He said the WHO had provided all its supplies to the Federal Relief Commission (now the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority) and it was responsible for their supply to hospitals.
He said the WHO only provided technical help whenever needed but the medicines donated by some countries were of higher quality than to the local brands.
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