Pharma traders allege Rs 100 cr scam in J and K Health sector

Jammu, Oct 22 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Pharma Associates (JKPA), a body of pharma traders, today alleged a Rs 100 crore scam was committed in the state healthcare sector by registering more than 10,000 unqualified people as pharmacists.

Addressing a press conference, JKPA general secretary Rakesh Gupta said there had been a mass corruption in the health sector, wherein the unqualified people were registered as pharmacists on experience basis.

''It is shocking that the health minister recommends people to the drug controller for registrations as Pharmasist forgestting that involves a great risk to the public at large,'' he said, asserting that the successive ministers, since 2002, had been involved in the said practice.

After studying the facts of this ''whole multi-crore scam'', Mr Gupta said the JKPA had approached the office of the Chief Minister with a written complaint.

''We give the state government a time limit till November 10 to take appropriate action in this regard. Otherwise, the JKPA would have to file a PIL in the court of law,'' Mr Gupta said.

The Drug and Cosmetics Act, which extends to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, he said, ''does not allow the grant of drug license to the people who do not have diploma in pharmacy as laid down by the Pharmacy Council of India after the education regulations came into force for this qualification in 1994.'' The JKPA demanded cancellation of all Pharmacists' registrations done as subsequesnt against the law and immediate arrest of the past two presidents of the Pharmacy Council/ Drug Controllers of Jammu and Kashmir state for interrogation to unveil the whole scam.

UNI