The Jammu and Kashmir Government today cautioned the Drug and Food Control Organization (DFCO) to ensure that no drug sub-outlets are operative on proxy basis anywhere in the State. It also ordered that drug shops should only run by license holders issued by the competent authority of the organization.“It is matter of health care and we have to ensure that drugs are only sold by trained pharmacists having requisite certificates and license from the Organization,” Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan said today while chairing monthly review meeting of Health Services, Kashmir.
According to 5Dariyanews, directed field functionaries to keep close vigil on sale of spurious drugs in the markets especially in rural drug shops where such practices are more common to play with the health of innocent patients. Spurious drugs and proxy drug outlets should be seized and guilty persons should be booked under the Act,” he cautioned the officers.
He said that upgradation of ISM infrastructure in the State also received focused attention.”The construction on 5 major ISM hospitals and 30 dispensaries at an estimated cost of Rs 101 crore is apace across the State.”The Minister received detailed appraisal of different health care activities from Director ISM and instructed the concerned functionaries to sensitize the people for availing this choice of treatment. “The government had set up ISM health centers at all state and district level hospitals, besides primary health centers, where free of cost medicines and other related facilities had been made available to needy patients,” he said.
He emphasized upon the authorities concerned to ensure proper treatment facilities for people at the ISM hospitals, adding that it should be strictly ensured that patients got free of cost medicines and other health care facilities in these hospitals.
Shabir also stressed on lifting of samples of variety edibles in the markets for testing to ensure that no adulteration is made in them which harms the health of the people. “Such manufacturers and shopkeepers should be fined and booked and their units should be sealed and licenses canceled under the law,” the Minister added