Irregularities in Narcotics, Intoxicant Meds Across KHI Hospitals

KARACHI: Major Private and public hospitals across the metropolis, where large numbers of poor patients go for their health care, are not ensuring standard operating procedures (SOPs) when using narcotics and intoxicant drugs, a report submitted by Director Health Karachi has revealed.

According to the report submitted by Director Health Dr Muhammad Taufiq to Secretary Health Dr Fazlullah Pechuho, more than 80 percent of major private and public hospitals were inspected over a span of two months. The results revealed massive irregularities in usage of narcotics and intoxicant medicines by health experts based in the hospitals in question.

Most doctors and paramedical staff were found to be not very well aware of the code of conduct and rules of dangerous drug acts, the report stated.

More than 60 percent of hospitals working under private authorities were found to have invalid or expired licenses and surplus amounts of dangerous drug quota, which showed they were not certain about the quantity of the drugs and the demand for dangerous drugs were calculated on assumption basis.

The report also revealed that the Pharmacy and Therapeutic committee was notified by the hospitals but unfortunately was not endorsing intoxicant drugs – which need to be endorsed and justified by the concerned department.

The storage lockers for the dangerous drugs did not meet safety and cleanliness standards, the report found.

The inspection was conducted in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, National Institute of Child Health, Tabba Heart Institute, Civil Hospital Trauma Centre, Agha Khan Hospital, South City Hospital, Sindh Government Qatar and Liaquatabad hospitals and other tertiary, secondary and primary care hospitals.

Health experts said that the narcotics and intoxicant drugs in question are used for anesthesia and pain relief before and after surgeries.