DERA GHAZI KHAN, Nov 2: The district health authorities distributed drugs and disposable syringes to hospitals, rural health centres and basic health units and paid Rs20 million to the suppliers without waiting for the Drug-Testing Laboratory results which declared the supplies spurious and substandard, Dawn found out.

A former EDO (health), currently working as the medical superintendent of Dera DHQ Hospital had procured the medicines under the supervision of the then DCO Saqib Aleem, who was chairman of the purchase committee for 2002-03. The department had purchased 34 items including disposable syringes.

According to the rules, each and every batch of supplied medicines should be tested at the Drug-Testing Laboratory before distribution.

EDO (Health) Javed Hassan Ajmi told Dawn that distribution of substandard drugs/equipment to government health institutions was illegal, as was the payment to suppliers. He told this reporter that he had directed all health facilities in Dera Ghazi Khan to stop using the substandard drugs.

However, medical officers in various government health institutions in the district disputed the EDO claim, saying that neither former EDO (Health) Dr Shahid nor Dr Ajmi had issued any directive to stop the use of the drugs.

According to the EDO, medicines were distributed in June.

The purchase committee comprised the DCO (chairman), a representative of the district Nazim, the EDO (finance) and the EDO (health).

Former EDO (health) DHQ hospital MS Dr Shahid Bhatti was not available for comments as he had gone to Lahore for an official meeting.

A drug inspector told this reporter that products of four pharmas were sub-standard in quantity and quality. However, the firms were still on the list of qualified bidders of the health department.

The products of the pharmaceutical firms registered with the health department cannot be found in the open market.

Among the registered bidders, there is no multinational. Sources said multinational pharmaceutical companies did not offer huge commissions on sales.

The district health authorities did supply substandard drugs to medical units last year. In 2002, Azaz Qureshi, son of the then EDO (Health) Dr Qasim Qureshi, was booked under the Drug Act, 1976, on the report of drug inspector Junaid Siddiqui for supplying substandard medicines and equipment to the district heath department, but he was never arrested by the Civil Lines police.

In Dera Ghazi Khan, there is a 250-bed DHQ hospital, two 20-bed civil hospitals at Fort Munro and Sakhi Sarwar, a 50-bed THQ hospital at Taunsa Sharif, nine 20-bed rural health centres and 53 two-bed basic health units.