Health Minister Zahid Maleque has dismissed allegations of 95 percent of the pharmacies selling expired medicine.
“It’s not true that 95 percent of the pharmacies in the country are selling expired medicines,” he said while addressing a media call on Thursday (Jun 20).
“The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) strictly monitors the situation,” he added.
The minister called on people to be more aware saying, “We are working to stop the sale of expired medicines. We’ll take steps as soon as we get the High Court’s order.”
Meanwhile, DGDA Director General Md Mahbubur Rahman, who was present at the media call claimed that all the 130,000 licensed pharmacies in the country have a separate box for expired medicines.
When the journalists challenged his claim, he said, “We are regularly conducting raids.”
He added that in the last six months, five people have been jailed, 370 cases have been filed and fines worth nearly Tk 6 billion were slapped over the issue.