Animal drug administration issue: Committee completes inquiry

A committee, constituted by Rajasthan government to probe into the alleged administration of the drug marked as "For Animal Treatment Only" to around 300 patients at a government hospital, completed its inquiry today.
The committee comprising Ajay Mathur (Superintendent- Gangauri Hospital, Jaipur), Suchitra Gaur (Professor of Pharmacology-SMS Hospital, Jaipur) and Drug Controller Ashok Bhandari arrived at the Mathura Das Mathur Hospital today and completed their investigation, Superintendent of MDM Hospital Deepak Verma said here.
"The committee members visited the drug store and drug distribution centres of the hospital, checked the records and obtained the papers related to purchasing of the drug," he said.

"They also met the patients, who had been given multiple doses of the drug," Verma said, adding the hospital administration has also submitted its own report to the committee.
The committee would first prepare its own report and then would compare it with the report prepared by the local committee before arriving at a conclusion," Verma said.
The hospital administration, however, has blacklisted both the manufacturer and distributor of the drug.

On the other hand, the Drug Control department will be waiting for the laboratory report of the samples sent by the department for test.
"Though, we have already served the notices to both the manufacturer and distributor of the drug, but would have to wait until the laboratory report of the drug is obtained for any legal action or prosecution of them," Drug Controller Bhandari said.

The matter came to light on June 23 that as many as 300 patients in the hospital have been administered antibiotic injections with vials carrying "For Animal Treatment Only" label.