Around 1973 I purchased Betnovate-N
cream and found that tube to be spurious. I drove with my family 48 km
from Fatehabad to Hisar and convinced the Chief Medical Officer. The drug
inspector ML Garg had gone to noon show. We went also to noon show presumably
a different one. After all that enthusiasm, can you guess the result?
The inspector had a treat at offending chemist and initiated
action against my chemist shop for not being clean. The samples picked
up could not be tested, being "improperly packed". I just refused to deal
further with such system and shut down my chemist shop. I was left with
ML Garg's ideology - A chemist goes to Delhi, purchases a lakh tablets
with a bill for only 5000 to avoid octroi and taxes. My job is not to probe
into tax evasion. For my satisfaction, a chemist should produce a bill
for the item and not for quantity. For a paltry bribe of Rs150 per quarter,
he would purchase (pick up sample of) expiring and hard to sell stock of
medicines as desired by a chemist.
Since 1984, I have been shouting that incidence of spurious medicines with Delhi chemists is not 10%, not 30%, not 50%, not 70% - I can't comment beyond that but many chemists don't have single genuine tablet in their shops. I find it hard to get genuine medicines for myself and my family. What would be the fate of unsuspecting patients? I know how to detect many spurious medicines on the spot :-
1. Smell (Tonics);
2. Taste (Avil tablets);
3. Density - some injectables can be aspirated with thick
needles only (Durabolin). Some syrups pour slowly out of bottle;
4. Physical features - Some saturated injectables crystalise
on exposure. The needle, wall of the broken ampoule and floor surface prominently
display crystals (Baralgan).
5. Absence of known instantaneous relief;
6. Absence of side effects observed before by the same
patient - sedation, sweating, stomach irritaion;
7. Break the tablet and see how it looks like;
8. Absence of discoloration of urine/faeces (Furoxone,
Becosules, Vanquin).
A unique feature facilitates isolating the culprits. Most chemists have either all spurious medicines or all genuine medicines. With setting at every level, percentage factor has vanished.
The Chief Minister
Delhi
Subject : Army actions requested !
Esteemed Madam
Hats off to Indian Army for undoing a gross misdeed of Haryana Administration. I am sure the administration would never fix up responsibility for leaving the hole open as every single employee thrives on extra-service earnings and contributes to party and personal funds of high ups.
A judge was passing by a lake. The lake was surrounded by CBI officials. A cop dived again and again, and every time, he came out waving his hands, "Kuchh nahin mila!". The judge summoned a senior officer and enquired what they were searching for. "Sir, a drop of water.", was the innocent reply. The judge bashed the officer who in turn bashed the diver. The diver clinched his fist and announced,"Aakhir mil gayee paani ki ek boond!".
Every santri and every mantri have been bribing house tax, electricity, water, income tax staff, police all their life. Yet they won't do anything in absence of complaint or proof. Capable of manufacturing a proof when required, they lack receptivity. I keenly take note of illegal activity around me and send a hundred fax messages to police commissioner every year. About a dozen times in a year, a cop responds over telephone, in rural accent,"Us din (4-8 weeks ago) kya hua tha?". I rang up 100 to inform that some students were drinking beer at Avtar Enclave bus stop and was replied,"Beer peena koyee jurm nahin hai.". Many such instaces are narrated at http://ussupermall.net/undigested
Since army saved two child victims during this year, let us assess how many children die unnatural death every day.
1. For several months, I have been avoiding a road hole
while turning from national market toward A-5/15 Mianwali Nagar and, for
decades, from Balbir Singh Marg to Paschim Vihar post office.. The holes
may potentially damage a car but a child or a biker would encounter doom
day. Such killer holes are abundant in all cities.
2. Many children die every day falling to corrupt practices
at hospitals. Apparently, parents are unable to pay for "genuine" treatment.
3. Many children die every day because too many chemist
shops do not have single genuine tablet. Every chemist shop, even honest
and genuine one, begins with bribe to drug inspector. The spurious seller
ends with aborted prosecution and reopening under a new name, a few shops
away. Is it too difficult to pinpoint chemists who changed name and location
thrice in ten years?
An army operation is required to weed out corrupt MCD
inspectors, corrupt practices in hospitals and spurous medicine. But why
would a govenment do that? A government that earns millions from sale of
wine/tobacco, spends a substantial part of such earnings on anti compaigns,
and several times such earnings on combating health hazards. A politician
earns commission from all the three types of transactions. Why would a
government play with livelihood of its own members and staff? A sincere
government would pick a tip from sikh community and dare a total ban on
smoking (and wine).
Warm regards
Yours faithfully
(Dr K Chaudhry)
Copy to : LG PM Media