Bhopal:

The quality of several crucial medicines in Madhya Pradesh has come under scrutiny, leading to a state-wide ban on more than nine essential drugs and injections.

The Madhya Pradesh Public Health Service Corporation Limited (MPPHSCL) has identified these medicines as substandard, raising concerns about patient safety across all districts in the state.

NDTV has got a copy of a shocking report that exposed this life-threatening fraud.

The issue first came to light when doctors at a government hospital in Indore saw that patients were not responding to treatment as expected. This prompted an investigation into the medicines supplied by MPPHSCL, uncovering significant irregularities. A large batch of medicines, including life-saving drugs and antibiotics, was found to be of poor quality, prompting immediate action.

“Our team reported that many injections were not working as expected; those that should be administered once had to be given twice,” said Dr Sumit Shukla, Superintendent of Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College.

The situation turned dire in Damoh, where five pregnant women died after they took intravenous saline.

In response, MPPHSCL has banned the use of these medicines across the state.

“We have a comprehensive system to check all medicines procured or sold in the market. There is a full department and a laboratory dedicated to this task. When medicines are purchased, their certificates are thoroughly checked, and once the medicines arrive, samples are collected and sent to the laboratory for testing,” said state Health Minister Narendra Shivaji Patel, adding the government is committed to transparency and safety.

“Our doctors and laboratories have identified the suppliers or factories that produced these ineffective or potentially harmful medicines. This shows that our system is working effectively to protect public health. If any supplier is found attempting to distribute substandard medicines, they will be banned, blacklisted, and subjected to strict legal action. We will take all necessary steps to ensure that our citizens are not harmed,” Mr Patel said.

Despite strict regulations requiring NABL-certified lab reports for medicine supplies in government hospitals, the reality suggests a lapse in quality control. Many of the banned drugs, including those used in intensive care units (ICUs) and operation theatres, are still available in private shops, raising further concerns.

NDTV went to a medicine shop in Bhopal’s biggest government hospital, Hamidia, to uncover the ground reality of the availability of banned medicines. Despite the state’s recent crackdown on substandard drugs, NDTV was able to easily purchase Heparin and Nitroglycerin injections. These are part of the nine life-saving drugs recently banned due to quality concerns of the same manufacturer.

The process was disturbingly straightforward. We approached the medicine shop inside Hamidia Hospital, requested the injections, made the purchase, and received an official bill – all without any hindrance.

These injections, which are critical in emergency care settings such ICUs and operation theatres, were supposed to be banned following the state’s directive. The ease with which these injections were obtained at Hamidia is not an isolated incident. Our investigation extended to private shops outside JP Hospital, where the same banned injections were readily available.

“Many of these medicines are life-saving. In the ICU, we administer dopamine to patients with dangerously low blood pressure. Additionally, when a patient suffers a cardiac arrest, we use non-adrenaline during CPR. These medicines are crucial in emergency situations, and their quality must be impeccable,” said Dr Ashok Thakur of MY Hospital. “Any deficiency in these drugs can lead to adverse outcomes, putting patients’ lives at risk,” he said.

The real question remains – how long has this compromised quality persisted? With more than 90 per cent of hospitals in the state facing a shortage of essential medicines and the quality of supplied drugs in question, the situation is alarming.