TOBA TEK SINGH, Sept 18: The District Drug Inspector on Tuesday collected samples from a rural health centre (RHC) after complaints emerged that substandard medicines were being supplied under the Punjab Rural Health Support Programme (PRHSP) to 66 RHCs and basic health units (BHUs) of the district. Later, the drug inspector sent the samples to a government laboratory in Lahore for chemical examination.

After the complaints, PRHSP officials have also directed all heads of the RHCs and BHUs to send back the entire stock of medicines.

According to sources, Pakistan Medical Association local chapter president, Dr Afzal Duggal, had complained in a letter to health authorities that some of the medicines being supplied to RHCs and BHUs being run by the PRHSP under an agreement with the district government were of bad quality and could cause danger to patients.

Source said that this letter prompted the drug inspector to raid an RHC in Chak 255 GB, Madehpur, on Tuesday.

A health department official told Dawn that an action would be taken against the supplier if the chemical examination proved that medicines were phoney.

recovered: The Gojra city police on Monday night raided a village in Vehari district and recovered a nursing student who was abducted by her former husband a couple of days ago when she was going to hostel after performing her duties in the hospital.

Zoya Ali, fourth-year student at Government Nursing School, married Amjad of Sahiwal by choice two years ago.

However, they developed differences culminating on a divorce with the intervention of a local court.

Amjad along with his accomplices picked Zoya when she was on her way to hostel after her duties, bundled her into a car and took her to Luddan village near Vehari.

On a tip-off, the Gojra police raided the village and recovered her. However, Amjad and his accomplices fled. The police have registered a case on the complaint of Nursing School’s Principal Bilqees Aziz.

LOOTED: Three robbers stormed a beverage company distribution office in Kamalia on Monday night and deprived the cashier of over Rs 100,000. Najamul Hasan was in his office when the robbers took him on gunpoint, thrashed him and confined him in his room before fleeing with booty.