Ministry team involving minister Basnet carries out monitoring at pharmacies

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has launched a monitoring of pharmacies across the country including the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts).

The monitoring aims to check whether or not the pharmacies are selling quality medicines and pharmaceutical products in the right way, said the line minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet.

As part of the monitoring drive, a government team involving the minister himself carried out monitoring at Time Medical Pharmacy at Patan in Lalitpur, Sewa Health Care Pvt. Ltd. at Ekantakuna, and Alka Hospital Pharmacy at Jawalakhel.

During the monitoring, Time Medical and Sewa Health Care were found selling date-expired medicines and drugs that are not sold without a doctor’s prescription, said Minister Basnet.

On the occasion, the minister said the pharmacies in question would face action, and the monitoring continue.

Other members of the monitoring team were the Director General of the Department of Drug Administration Narayan Prasad Dhakal, the Assistant Chief District Officer of the District Administration Office, Lalitpur Amardeep Sunsar, representatives of the Ministry of Health and Population, and the Narcotics Control Bureau, employees of the Department and media-persons.

According to the Ministry, separate 20 monitoring teams were mobilised in the Kathmandu Valley today. Separate mechanisms have been created in all 77 districts to monitor pharmacies.