Opposition in Kerala accuses Health department of palming off expired drugs to unsuspecting government hospital patients

UDF accuses LDF govt of imperilling public health by distributing expired medicines, cites CAG report. V.D. Satheesan alleges big-ticket corruption in KMSC, says agency violated norms & distributed drugs past expiry date. He says KMSC bought drugs of dubious quality & prohibited for sale, routed via Big Pharma as bribe. CAG flags 8,7000 batches out of 54,049 procured by KMSC. UDF alleges KMSC violated quality control norms, endangering public health.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has opened a new battlefront against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government by accusing the Health department of imperilling public health by allegedly distributing medicines past their expiry date to commoners seeking medical care in public-funded hospitals.

Leaning on a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday alleged politically sanctioned big-ticket corruption in the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSC) responsible for large-scale procurement of essential drugs. The agency violated norms by purchasing medicine approaching the lapse date to help pharmaceutical companies expend unused stocks in reciprocation for outsize backhanders.

He said that government rules mandated that the KMSC only purchase medicines with a minimum expiry period of three years. However, the KMSC violated the norms in the procurement of 1,610 batches of medicine. It distributed drugs that passed their validity date through at least 26 public hospitals, jeopardising the health of trusting patients.

Mr. Satheesan also alleged that the KMSC purchased drugs of dubious quality that drug inspectors had not cleared for sale for distribution through 483 government hospitals. Quoting the CAG report, Mr. Satheesan also alleged that the KSMC issued drugs prohibited for sale to patients through 148 government hospitals. A big pharma had found a conduit in the KSMC to channel expired and banned drugs to the unsuspecting public.

He said the modus operandi the KSMC used for corruption was simple. The companies sold the medicines to the KSMC at 10% to 20% of their market value.

“For one, the KSMC would pay the actual cost of the medicine to Big Pharma, which, in turn, would reroute 80% of the remittance to officials responsible for green-lighting the tender agreement as a bribe,” Mr. Satheesan said.

Mr. Satheesan said the wrongdoing flagged by the CAG was the tip of the iceberg. . He alleged that the KMSC had brazenly violated quality control norms at the cost of public health.