Thiruvananthapuram: A major oversight has been identified within the state’s government hospitals, with patients receiving expired medicines. This alarming discrepancy has been revealed in a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The report reveals that expired medicines were disbursed to patients across 26 government hospitals in the state.
The CAG report underscores a severe oversight on the part of the Medical Services Corporation, responsible for monitoring the quality of medicines. Between 2016 and 2022, substandard medicines worth approximately four crore rupees found their way into these hospitals.
Medications valued at Rs 3.75 crore were seized due to their subpar quality, and medicines amounting to Rs 11.69 lakh, which were deemed unfit for supply, were nonetheless given to patients. The CAG report also highlights the potentially dangerous consequences of distributing expired medicines, emphasizing that such medicines can undergo chemical alterations that endanger the lives of patients.
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