: A large quantity of government-supplied medicines, reportedly worth lakhs of rupees and yet to expire, was found dumped in garbage near Manmohan Park in Katra on Tuesday morning, in a shocking case of alleged wastage of public healthcare resources.
The medicines were meant to be distributed free of cost to patients at government hospitals. Morning walkers found them lying in sacks and cardboard cartons along the roadside. The incident comes at a time when patients at some government hospitals have been complaining about the non-availability of medicines.
Around 11 am, a scrap dealer from Shahganj reportedly loaded the sacks and cartons containing the medicines onto a handcart and took them near Colvin Hospital. There, he separated plastic and glass components from the discarded medicine packs before dumping the remaining contents near the hospital premises.
The recovered medicines were found to be due to expire only in July and August 2026, indicating that they were still fit for use. The medicines found in large quantities included Diclofenac Gel, Metronidazole Benzoate Oral Suspension IP and various tablets. According to doctors, these medicines are commonly prescribed to treat pain, skin infections, intestinal inflammation and fungal infections.
The medicines recovered from the dump included Diclofenac Gel (batch numbers G-294 and G-295), Betamethasone Valerate Cream (batch number 344), Domperidone Tablets (batch number UT-2024016), Metronidazole Benzoate Oral Suspension (batch number MN-240) and Clotrimazole Tablets (batch number 1626-02).
Chief medical officer Dr AK Tiwari termed the matter serious and ordered an inquiry. “Finding unexpired medicines in garbage is a serious issue. Appropriate action will be taken after obtaining complete information. The batch numbers of the medicines will also be verified to ascertain their source,” the CMO said.
