Shillong: Meghalaya Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla has dismissed mounting concerns over recent drug recalls across government health institutions. He attributed the incidents to isolated storage problems rather than systemic failures in the procurement process managed by the Meghalaya Medical Drugs and Services Limited.
Shylla assured the public that no patients have suffered serious harm from the supplies. Regarding the recent recall of Iron and Folic Acid tablets distributed under the National Health Mission, he clarified that the Union Ministry provided the medication rather than the state procurement agency. He stated the state returned the batch immediately upon notification.
Despite these assurances, doctors and health department insiders are questioning the timing of these alerts. They report that medical professionals are often notified to stop using specific drugs only after patients have already received or consumed them. This delay leaves practitioners vulnerable to legal and professional repercussions.
On May 19, MMDSL Managing Director Ramakrishna Chitturi instructed pharmacists and storekeepers to halt the distribution of specific tablets due to quality worries. In light of these events, health department sources are calling for more rigorous testing protocols to verify the quality of medicine before supplies reach hospitals and health centres.
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