IMA urges Govt to amend laws to deal with spurious drug trade

New Delhi, July 23 (UNI) Concerned over the increasing sale of spurious drugs in the country, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) today urged the government to amend laws to check the manufacture and sale of such drugs.

''The existing laws are not strict enough...the menace has creeped into every level, 35 per cent drugs sold in India are fake.

The government has not done anything. We recommend capital punishment for the people involved in this illegal trade,'' IMA president Ajay Kumar told a news conference.

''Even life saving drugs are manufactured like this. This trade has even put a question mark over the competency of doctors because patients die after being administered these drugs,'' he added.

He said the policy regarding the ''crucial issue'' was ''weak'' and the guilty being given a punishment of five years imprisonment was not enough.

Dr Kumar said those involved in the trade must be dealt with in accordance with the Anti Narcotic Act.

''The government must amend the law suitably and make rules ' under the Anti Narcotic Act...lives of millions of patients in India are at risk,'' he added.

Demanding that the Government table a Bill to this effect in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Dr Kumar said Drugs Controller should be responsible for checking the trade in the country.

''We have no mechanism by which we can ascertain if a drug is fake... India only has 37 recognised labs which are authorised to check the drugs of which only seven are functioning,'' he pointed out.

Announcing that IMA was launching a nation-wide campaign against the manufacture and sale of spurious drugs, the IMA President urged people to buy medicines only from authorised shops and collect a bill against purchase of medicines and not buy substitute drugs.

UNI