ADILABAD: A scam in medical procurement came to light when medical staff administered expired ceftriaxone antibiotic injections in the male ward of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here. It is found that January 2021 was printed as the expiry date on the bottle that was manufactured in February 2019.
RIMS Director Dr Bhanoth Balram Naik said that they had purchased 5,000 doses of ceftriaxone injections under the ‘buy and supply method’ since there was a shortage of the medicine and there was no supply from the government during the second wave of Covid-19.
However, the Director said that they were not aware about how those injections were delivered and from where the staff had collected them.
RIMS authorities said that they have purchased ceftriaxone injection from Kerala.
The question that remains unanswered is on how many expired injections and medicines were supplied to RIMS by medical agencies, which indulged in the fraud by taking advantage of the pandemic.
Dr Naik admitted that there were lapses and deplored that such injections were given to patients, some of whom complained of side-effects.
There are strong allegations that RIMS authorities had colluded with medical agencies in this scam.
It is also suspected that these expired antibiotic injections might have failed to cure Covid-19 patients even as there is fear that some of those given the injection may succumb as they would have failed to create anti-bodies in Covid patients at RIMS.
Congress state general secretary Gandrath Sujatha visited RIMS and interacted with patients who were administered such ceftriaxone injections and also their late Sunday night. She said that it was an insider job.
A Congress delegation, led by Sujatha, met collector Sikta Patnaik and asked her to order a thorough inquiry into the incident and take action against the officials responsible for playing with the lives of people.
Kailash, an attendant of patient Gouri Shankar of Kholipura, found that the ceftriaxone injection administered to his relative, and some others had expired. He said there was no response from the authorities when he tried to inform the matter. He brought this to the notice of the nurse on duty, who in turn dropped those injection bottles in the dustbin.
It is said that such dubious injections were given to nearly 40 patients from ten vials on June 13.
BJP leader Payal Sharath held the medical staff and Dr Naik responsible for the incident and demanded the state government to remove the medical staff and director from duties.
