Govt seals polyclinic and pharmacy

Kathmandu, July 7: The Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM) Thursday sealed two polyclinics and a pharmacy for running the company without registration and qualified pharmacists.

A joint market monitoring team of DoCSM, District Administrative Office, Kathmandu, Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology, consumer right activists and security personnel has shut Balaju Swasthya Clinic of Balaju, Aaradhana Health Care Centre of Dhapasi Subhajit Pharmacy of Dhapasi.

Balaju Swasthya Clinic was illegally operating for the last 10 years, DoCSM said.

According to consumers’ rights activist Madhav Timilsina, the Department of Health Services had directed the company to get registered instantly and follow the standards of the polyclinic two years ago, but had been running the clinic for a decade ignoring the directives of the government.

It has been running a pharmacy without a certified pharmacist.

The clinic also charged almost double price from consumers on the purchase of medicines, it is claimed.

Many consumers present on the occasion complained of the high prices and substandard services of the clinic.

Aaradhana has been running a polyclinic without any approval from the government.  

“It was certified only to run the pharmacy while it was running a polyclinic with emergency services,” Shree Prasad Adhikari, officer at the DoCSM.

The monitoring team also found that the pharmacy of the health centre had been charging Rs. 50 for a TT injection of Rs. 17.

It’s been also found that the some medicines and glucose in the pharmacy had no label or maximum retail price, it was removed.

Subhajit Pharmacy in front of the Grande International Hospital was selling narcotic medicines without doctor’s prescription.

Ramesh Devkota of Department of Drug Administration said, “The class B medicines, narcotics, shouldn’t be sold without the prescription of the doctors. It’s a crime which may scrap the license of the pharmacy.”

There was confusion over the name of the company as well. The pharmacy was running under the name of Subhajit Pharmacy but it was billing under Run Pharmacy.

Adhikari who led the monitoring team said that the DoCSM would further study into the cases and would recommend further punishment.

Monitoring officers said that most of the pharmacies and polyclinics in the country were running without proper registration and qualified pharmacist.

“Many people were cheated by such pharmacies and polyclinics across the country. It needs to be controlled as soon as possible,” said Timilsina.