DHAKA, June 24, 2019 (BSS) – Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque today said all date-expired medicines must be removed from pharmacies by July 2 as the government will take stern action if any pharmacy is found selling those.
“There are 1, 30,000 pharmacies in the country. If date-expired medicine is sold at any pharmacy, action will be taken against it. We will not allow selling the expired medicine,” he said.
The minister came up with the observations while addressing a press conference at the conference room at his ministry here this noon. “Our team is working against such heinous work, showing zero tolerance regularly,” he also warned.
Mentioning the present government’s commitment in ensuring proper health service, Zahid Maleque said that they will not tolerate such things which can pose risk for health of the common people.
Besides, the minister urged the people for providing information to the concerned ministry or law enforcing agencies if they get any date-expired medicine at any pharmacy, in a bid to take action against it.
Expressing his disappointment over the news that 93 percent pharmacies keep date-expired medicines in the capital, he said such awful things will not be tolerated.
Secretary Asadul Islam, Director General of Health service Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control & Research (IEDCR) Director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora were present on the occasion, among others.
While talking about government’s preparation in tackling outbreak of Dengue and Chikungunya, the minister said more than 1500 physicians and nurses of 28 public, 36 private hospitals and two city corporations have been given Dengue and Chikungunya management training and this work is going on.
Apart from these, Dengue diagnosis kits have been distributed in different public hospitals in the capital.
“Till now we have served around 853 dengue patients this year, of those, sadly two have died,” Zahid Maleque said.
The ministry is also working with authorities of two city corporations in removing aedes mosquitoes, he informed.