Raipur | Correspondent: In a concerning situation, patients suffering from sickle cell disease in several government hospitals across Chhattisgarh are being provided with substandard or defective medicines.
The medicine in question, identified as the “Pa” tablet, is reported to be of such poor quality that it disintegrates into powder upon unwrapping.
Some of the tablet packages are found torn or already opened, raising serious concerns about their safety and effectiveness.
Despite official claims that the distribution of this defective medicine has been halted, these tablets are still being handed out to patients.
The Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation (CGMSC) is responsible for supplying these medicines to hospitals across the state.
More than 500,000 tablets from the FAT 1120 batch, which have been flagged as substandard, have been distributed to government hospitals.
Complaints regarding the quality of this medicine have emerged from several districts, including Bilaspur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, and Raipur.
Upon learning of the issue, CGMSC Managing Director Padmini Bhoi immediately ordered the tablets to stop being distributed and asked for them to be returned.
However, the distribution continues in many hospitals across the state.
Negligence in Bilaspur
Government hospitals in Bilaspur, including CIMS, the district hospital, and community health centers, are reportedly unaware of the ban on the substandard tablets.
The medicine has not been recalled from these hospitals, and it continues to be administered to sickle cell patients.
The District Surveillance Officer of Bilaspur is also reportedly unaware of where the defective tablets have been distributed in the district.
Despite these lapses, CGMSC officials have reiterated that all such medicines, including those sent to the Sickle Cell Institute, must be recalled immediately.
The FAT 1120 batch of the medicine is also set to undergo retesting in laboratories.
Understanding Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that affects red blood cells.
Normally, red blood cells are round, soft, and flexible, allowing them to move through tiny blood vessels.
In people with sickle cell disease, these cells become rigid and crescent-shaped (resembling a sickle), causing blockages in blood vessels.
This leads to a reduction in hemoglobin and oxygen supply in the body, resulting in symptoms such as pain in the limbs, joint pain, bone issues, jaundice, liver swelling, and gallstones.
A blood test is essential to diagnose sickle cell anemia if these symptoms appear.
The continued distribution of defective medicines to sickle cell patients highlights the need for stricter quality control in the supply of essential medications to government hospitals.
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