In continuation of the ongoing drive against illegal sale and purchase of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits, being conducted on the directions of the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner (DC), the Drugs Control Department has intensified inspections in the city.
As part of the drive, Navdeep Sandhu, Drugs Control Officer, Ludhiana-3, inspected two firms in different areas. During the inspection at a medical store in Raghubir Park of the Haibowal Kalan area, the department deployed a decoy customer as part of an enforcement exercise.
During the decoy operation, the firm sold an MTP kit to the customer without obtaining a valid doctor’s prescription and without issuing a sale invoice, violating key provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The same was recorded in the official inspection report prepared at the spot.
Further, during inspection, the firm failed to produce the purchase record of the MTP kit stocked for sale, in contravention of the mandatory record maintenance provisions under the Act. According to Sandhu, strict action is being initiated against the violator. He further said the department would continue to conduct such surprise inspections and decoy operations in the future to curb illegal sale of sensitive drugs and to ensure strict compliance with regulatory provisions in the interest of public health.
