Health minister issues strict warning to outsourced health service providers

Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Wednesday issued a strict warning to all outsourced institutions providing services in the public health sector directing officials to take stringent action including blacklisting against violatorsIn the health department many critical services ranging from CT scans MRIs dialysis STEMI care Xrays blood testing and emergency medical services 108 102 to human resources dietary services sanitation technical support maintenance and vehicle supply are provided through private agenciesMinister Abitkar instructed districtlevel officials to conduct thorough inspections of these institutions to ensure compliance with rules including proper payment of staff adequate patient care sanitary conditions and adherence to all regulationsInspection reports are to be submitted within 15 days with payments withheld and strict action taken against noncompliant agenciesldquoInstitutions must maintain quality standards transparency and follow departmental rulesrdquo Abitkar saidDistrict surgeons and health officers were directed to regularly inspect and evaluate outsourced agencies with punitive measures contract cancellations and blacklisting enforced against violators Officials found that supporting negligent providers may also face actionThe minister also stressed the importance of public awareness directing campaigns to ensure citizens know about facilities provided through outsourced agenciesThe meeting reviewed ongoing statewide health programs including sickle cell screening anaemia detection elephantiasis lymphatic filariasis tuberculosis malaria control and maternal mortality reduction initiatives Abitkar reiterated that public hospitals remain the primary support for citizens emphasising the need for proper treatment care and quality servicesThe session was attended by the Health Director Deputy Directors and senior officials from the departmentTwo arrested in Thane for selling fake BP medicines worth Rs 9 lakhMaharashtras Thane Police have arrested two men for allegedly selling counterfeit blood pressure medicines worth Rs 9 lakh by mimicking the name and packaging of a popular brand officials said on WednesdayAccording to a release from Kalyan police the accused marketed fake ldquoTelma AMrdquo tablets a combination of Telmisartan 40 mg and Amlodipine 5 mg using the license of ldquoShriram Pharmardquo and passed them off as products of the original manufacturerThe Food and Drug Administration FDA conducted a raid on January 20 and seized 2795 strips of fake ldquoTelma AMrdquo tablets valued at Rs 894400 the release saidFollowing the FDArsquos complaint a case was registered at Manpada police station in Dombivli under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules 1945The prime accused identified as Pankaj Radheshyam Upadhyay 33 a distributor and medical representative residing in Dombivli East was arrested on January 21Distributor aware of threat to patients yet sold tabletsldquoThe accused Upadhyay was aware that the said medicine was fake and that its consumption could pose a serious threat to human life yet he continued to distribute itrdquo the release stateDuring the investigation police learnt that the stock of duplicate medicines had allegedly been supplied by Vivek Ajaykumar Rai 35 a resident of Kandivali East in Mumbai He was arrested on February 16 police saidFurther investigation is underway under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone III Atul Zende and Assistant Commissioner of Police Dombivli Division Suhas Hemade the release added