Kerala Health Minister Orders 10-Year Probe into Expired Medicines, Financial Losses

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has directed a comprehensive review of medicine procurement, inventory management, and distribution across the state's public health system over the past decade. The order comes after reports revealed that a significant quantity of medicines procured for government health institutions expired unused, leading to financial losses for the state exchequer.

In a note dated July 28 addressed to the Principal Secretary (Health), the Minister cited the role of the Kerala State Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (KMSCL) as the nodal agency for procurement, warehousing, and distribution of medicines. The note states that a detailed examination of KMSCL's operations is required.

The review has been marked as 'most urgent' and must cover the last 10 years. The Principal Secretary has been asked to submit a report addressing seven specific areas: total quantity and value of expired medicines, broken down year-wise and institution-wise; details of medicines procured through KMSCL and other agencies that expired; reasons and circumstances leading to such procurement and expiry; an inquiry into KMSCL's role in procurement planning, inventory management, stock rotation, and redistribution of near-expiry medicines; expenditure on collection and scientific disposal of expired medicines; any lapses in procurement, stock management, or monitoring along with corrective measures; and current inventory of expired medicines still in hand, supported by photographic evidence from all institutions and KMSCL warehouses.

The note requires a comprehensive report with recommendations to prevent recurrence of such wastage to be submitted within one month.