Substandard eye injections
\nSeparate dealers selling fake injections in Lahore, Kasur, Multan, and Sadiqabad: minister
\nLAHORE
\nA day after it was revealed that the eyesight of as many as 40 diabetes patients was affected due to substandard injections in Lahore, cases of vision impairment were also reported in other cities of Punjab including Multan and Sadiqabad.
\nPunjab caretaker Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Nasir Jamal revealed on Sunday that separate dealers were selling counterfeit injections in Lahore, Kasur, Multan and Sadiqabad.
\nHe added that data on those selling the counterfeit injections in different cities of the province was being gathered.
\n\u201cNone of the operatives of the fake injection-selling network has been arrested yet,\u201d he said.
\nMoreover, he added: \u201cA list of the people affected by fake injections is also being prepared.\u201d
\nDuring a presser today, interim Federal Health Minister Nadeem Jan, while updating people on the latest developments about the matter said that an investigation into the issue was underway.
\nHe said that a committee of five people had been formed to look into what had led to vision impairment of the victims.
\nJan further added that the committee would analyse the situation from all angles and would determine whether the problem lay in the medicine, the competency of the doctors, or the sterilisation of the tools used.
\nHe said that inquiry could take around two to three days.
\nYesterday, the Punjab Health Department constituted a committee headed by ophthalmologist Dr Asad Aslam to probe the matter, after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Chaudhry Manzoor revealed that his brother and a friend\u2019s eyesight was affected when they received the shot inside their eyes.
\nThe PPP leader said when he shifted his brother to a Lahore hospital, 18 other patients with the same condition were already admitted to the medical facility.
\nHowever, Jan added that the entire batch of medicine had been pulled off the market and a first information report (FIR) had been lodged against two suppliers.
\nAs per the FIR against one of the suspects, Naveed Akbar, a case has been registered under sections 23 and 27 of the Drugs Act 1976 and section 30(2) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Act, 2012.
\nThe federal minister also said that victims, who suffered, will be compensated and provided top-notch medical facilities, while culprits will be dealt with properly.
\nOn the other hand, during the same presser, Jamal said: \u201cA sample of the fake injection has been sent to the lab of the Punjab Health Department.\u201d
\nHe added that the Punjab Health Department had received the names of 20 affected people.
\n\u201cThis drug has been used for a long time and the profit margin is high,\u201d Dr Jamal said, adding that the injection was made by a multinational company.
\nThis provincial minister added that the medicine had been used for a long time, but it has been discovered that the margin of profit for this medicine is very high.
\nHe said that one injection was being sold for Rs100,000.
\n\u201cWhile the exact number of people affected by this [injection] is yet to be determined, between 14-20 [cases] have been found so far,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Substandard eye injections Separate dealers selling fake injections in Lahore, Kasur, Multan, and Sadiqabad: minister LAHORE A day after it was revealed that the eyesight of as many as 40 diabetes patients was affected due to substandard injections in Lahore, cases of vision impairment were also reported in other cities of Punjab including Multan and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-358039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n