By By Imtiaz Ali
Legislators in the Sindh Assembly expressed grave concern on Thursday over the increasing number of fake drugs found in the market, and demanded strict action action against such products.
Kalsoom Chandio said on a point-of-order that the sale and purchase of fake drugs was increasing in society and there was no check on it. Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro also shared concern over the issue and said that he had also received a complaint from Larkana in this regard.
He said that a woman had undergone C-section surgery, which developed complications, and her relatives put her on antibiotics but they were not effective. Subsequently, a laboratory test revealed that the capsules that she was using contained “perfume power” and had no medicinal value.
Amanullah Masood said that medicines for animals were being given to people at a dispensary in Landhi, but the town health officer was not taking any action against the practice.
Mir Hasan Khoso said that incidents of hepatitis-C in his constituency, Jacobabad, have increased manifold. He said that an injection, available in Karachi for Rs13,000, was being sold for Rs300 in his constituency. The sellers claim to have “imported” it from China. Khoso said that the government should take action against this. Local Government Minister Aga Siraj Durrani, however, took exception to the complaint and added that Khoso himself was also part of the government.
Anwar Mahar said that this was a serious issue because capsules filled with “talcum powder” were being given to patients. The Speaker said that the Assembly’s secretariat will write a letter to the health department to initiate legal action against such elements.
Sharjeel Memon said that a minor child had been put on anaesthesia before operation at a Mithi hospital; when the electricity went off and the operation could not be carried out, the child died, because the hospital had no generator facility.
Nusrat Sahr said that officials of the Lyari Development Authority (LDA) were “wasting” public money on private guards for their supposed security. She said that at least 60 per cent guards, whose names were in the files, were not performing any security duty. Durrani said that he will order an inquiry if he was provided details. He said that there were certain reasons for keeping guards because LDA officials feel insecure in certain areas.
Heer Soho said that the job quota for Sindh was not being followed in federal institutions. She said that there were 63 employees in the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), out of which, only one belonged to Sindh. There were 59 employees in the Federal Flood Commission out of which only 17 belonged to Sindh. She said that unemployment was increasing in Sindh.
Nadeem Bhutto said that the Board of Revenue had no lawyer to plead its cases before courts and feared that the courts might decide land cases ex-party.
Revenue Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar said that the law department was helping them in hiring lawyers.
Shahryar Mahr said that the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) was not purchasing paddy, while Shama Mithani said that parking has been allowed at public places and main roads, which was causing immense inconveniences to commuters. Rana Abdul Sattar complained that the Water Accord of 1991 was not being implemented.