LAHORE, Nov 27: As poor patients are being denied free medicines at public hospitals, the drugs worth millions of rupees are reportedly being sold in the open market in the city.

Official sources say the medicines supplied to the Mayo, Social Security and the Government Mian Munshi hospitals had been recovered from three drug shops in Lohari Gate. Their worth has been estimated at Rs1.5 million.

The “not-for-sale” life-saving drugs and antibiotics carrying stamps of the three hospitals were stocked in basements and on rooftop storerooms of Ghaffar, Al-Muneer and Al-Ghaffar medical shops. Physician’s samples were also recovered from the shops, which were sealed.

Executive District Officer (health) Dr Inamul Haq says inventory of the seized drugs has been prepared and an FIR is being got registered against the shop owners, and storekeepers and other relevant staff of the hospitals for selling out official drugs.

Mayo Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Fiaz Ranjha says the medicines supplied to his institution are not stamped rather they carry hand-written name of the hospital.

He also claimed that the provincial government supplied the hospital no medicines since it was granted autonomy.

In another raid, district health authorities held one Dr Arshad from a Temple Road clinic for injecting his patients with vials used for milch animals.

An unqualified woman medical practitioner has also been nabbed for running a clinic on Temple Road.

Meanwhile, DCO Mohammad Ijaz has ordered a strict action against the medical shop owners pasting price tags on drugs on their own.

Chairing a meeting of the district quality control board here on Monday, he asked drug inspectors to enlist cases against those indulging in this practice to fleece consumers.

He also ordered a crackdown against the people doing medical business without getting license for the same.

He heard cases of 31 drug store owners involved in sale of spurious or expired medicines, doing business without license and without having relevant qualification. Challans of 25 of them were sent to the drug court, while four were issued warning and re-inspection of two other shops was ordered.

The DCO also ordered closure of the medical stores for 15 more days which were being run without qualified staff. —Amjad Mahmood