Tonnes of expired drugs, food burnt

JALALABAD (PAN): Expired and low-quality medicine and food, weighing nearly 12 tonnes, were set afire in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday, officials said.

The material included 87 different kinds of expired and poor-quality medicine and food items was torched in Jalalabad, Public Health Director Dr. Baz Mohammad Sherzad told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He estimated cost of the items at nearly three million afghanis. The drugs and food had been collected from medical stores across the province over the past two months in cooperation with municipality and National Directorate of Security (NDS) officials, he said.

Twenty-two medical stores were sealed and their owners referred to the prosecutor’s office, the official said, adding a factory manufacturing forged Pepsi beverages, was sealed in Ghanikhel district and its owner handed over to the district police.

Another 11 pharmacies were closed for selling expired drugs in the district. The public health official said 1,200 stray dogs were poisoned to death in the city over the past two months for fear they could become mad due to hot weather conditions.

He said action was taken against doctors and laboratory for prescribing and conducting unnecessary medical tests.

“I spent 6,000 afs on medical tests, but my problem is yet to be diagnosed,” said a resident of Qarghayee district of Laghman province, Romal.

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