Drug inspector flags expired medical stock in Bharmour civil hospital

Chamba: In a shocking and deeply concerning development, a large stock of expired and near-expiry medicines has been discovered at Civil Hospital, Bharmour, raising serious questions about whether patients may have been administered outdated drugs.Lovely Thakur, drug inspector (DI), Chamba, informed on Friday that during his inspection on Feb 11, he found alarming quantities of expired medicines stored in the hospital pharmacy. The pharmacist in charge could not provide any satisfactory explanation for their presence or confirm whether any of medicines had been dispensed to patients, he added.He said among the expired stock, some of the most critical and commonly used medicines included Pantaprazole and Domperidone capsules (23,075 capsules, expiry 2022), Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate respiratory suspension (1,750 × 2 ml, expiry 2023), Disinfectant spray (89 units, expiry 2022), Sanitizer (46 units, expiry 2023), Ceftriaxone and Sulbactum injections (600 injections, expiry 2022), Sterile peel-off pouches (216 pouches, expiry 2022), Metformin HCl (50 tablets, expiry 2022), Tracheal tubes (8 units, expiry 2020), Immunegrow oral drops (290 drops, expiry 2023), B Complex Vitamin C capsules (7,500 capsules), expiry not specified, Mega Slim capsules (110 capsules, expiry 2022), and Tryliv capsules (2,500 capsules, expiry 2023).DI further informed that adding to the concern was that the hospital also had near-expiry medicines including Valdinide (expiry 06/2026), Cefoprime 750 Injection (expiry 06/2026), ANOS Dee Injection (expiry 06/2026), and Paracetamol Syrup (expiry 04/2026). The presence of both expired and near-expiry medicines has made the situation even more alarming, as the risk of patient exposure cannot be dismissed.He said he has demanded a detailed report within a week to assess whether these medicines were dispensed and to review the hospital's consumption records. Normally, medicines nearing expiry should be reported by the store in-charge to the block medical officer, who informs the chief medical officer, after which a decision is made on redistribution or safe disposal. Authorities are now expanding the inspection to civil hospitals across the district, including Chawori, Dalhousie, Tissa, and Chamba.The pharmacist has been issued a notice to produce complete consumption and distribution records within seven days and explain the reasons behind the expiry and delayed distribution of medicines, as the investigation continues, he said.