Huge date expired worm killers stocked in community clinics

Huge quantities of expired worm killer Albendazole tablets are stored in different community clinics (CC) of Sadar upazila under the district as those were supplied there hurriedly from the reserve store of district civil surgeon's (CS) office only 15-20 days before expiry on November 30.

The expired medicines, if distributed to the people, put the consumers under serious health risk.

The district's reserve store in the third week of November provided Albendazole tablets via the upazila store for supplying 4000 to 5000 pieces to each CC in Sadar upazila, sources said.

The tables are produced by Bogra-based drug company 'Essential Drugs Company Ltd' and the label of each container with 500 tablets shows the manufacturing and expiry periods as December 2012 and November 2015, they said.

Then many community health care providers (CHCP) of the CCs put objections but the authority concerned compelled them to receive those worm killer tablets and directed distributing them among patients very quickly, said the stakeholders.

"When they brought 5,000 Albendazole tablets for my clinic on November 16, I received it unwillingly as there was only two weeks validity. I could distribute only 400-500 tablets to patients till November 30 and the remaining tablets are in the stock," Tanjila Aktar, CHCP of Gobbar Danga CC, told this correspondent.

"Now I am confused about what to do with the tablets as the department concerned is yet to give any directive or guideline in this regard," she added.

Sultana Aktar, CHCP of Kisamat Dogachhi CC in Tupamari union, said the community groups and local managing bodies concerned will sit in a meeting soon regarding the date expired medicines and then contact with the higher authorities.

Zila Parishad administrator Momtazul Islam, also district unit secretary of Awami League, said he will raise the matter in the next district coordination committee meeting as it concerns public health.

Mosharaf Hossain, district unit president of Durnity Protirodh Committee, said departmental procedure should be initiated to find out whose negligence led to the situation.

"A single date expired tablet should not be given to patients in any case. I'll talk to the civil surgeon so that he immediately withdraws the tablets and takes measure as per rule," said Zakir Hossain, deputy commissioner of Nilphamari.  

Contacted, Nilphamari CS Dr Abdur Rashid said, "It is our policy to distribute Albendazole tablets to as many people as possible before expiry of date. We will soon ask the CHCPs to return it as we have prior directive not to distribute any date expired medicine."