The opposition Congress in Kerala on Tuesday raised corruption allegations against the state Health department and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with procuring medicines by the Medical Services Corporation.
Addressing the media here, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan, citing a CAG report, alleged that certain medicines were procured without examining their quality and 26 hospitals were given medicines which were past their expiry date.
The Health department is yet to react to the allegations.
The Congress leader alleged that medicines past their expiry date were being distributed to the public through the medical services corporation.
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"Expired medicines were given to 26 hospitals. Meanwhile, 483 hospitals were given the medicines which were kept aside from distribution due to lack of quality," he charged.
He also alleged the pharmaceutical companies were selling medicines nearing expiry date to the government at a much cheaper price than the market rate.
"The medical services corporation is purchasing medicines nearing expiry date and giving them to common man in the state. Once the medicine is past the expiry date, its molecular combination changes and can affect the health of people," the Congress leader alleged.
He alleged that most of these purchases were approved by the CM or the Health Minister.
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Satheesan also claimed there were no quality checks of the medicines and sought an investigation into the issue by an independent agency.
