Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday directed the health secretary to make alternative arrangements for the five drugs that failed quality standard tests and will be withdrawn.

In an official communication, the minister also asked the official to prepare within a fortnight a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure that drugs and consumables procured by the Central Procurement Agency and through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal are of standard quality.

It should also ensure that all essential medicines are available at hospitals, Aam Aadmi Party Mohalla Clinics and dispensaries, Bharadwaj said.

The Directorate of Vigilance of the Delhi government has written to the health department to withdraw the drugs that failed the quality tests after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Saxena had recommended the probe into the alleged supply of drugs that "failed quality standard tests" and have the "potential of endangering lives" in Delhi government hospitals.

In the communication to the health secretary, Bharadwaj said he had learnt that the vigilance department issued directions to immediately remove the five drugs, Amlodipine, Levetiracetam, Pantoprazole, Cephalexin and Dexamethasone, from the stock where they have been supplied.

"Since the aforementioned five drugs which are to be removed from the stock, are also essential in nature and required for treatment of hypertensive disorder, seizure disorder, gastritis infections and respiratory diseases, hence, alternative arrangements should immediately be in place to make them available...," the communication read.

Bharadwaj also directed the health secretary to inform him within a week about the arrangements made by the Directorate General of Health Services and the hospitals for making five medicines of standard quality available to replace the ones withdrawn and their fresh stock position in the healthcare facilities.

He further said that in the recent past, certain essential consumables like absorbent cotton wool and rolled bandages were found to be "not of standard quality" and were removed from the stock.

"The hospital authorities then did not make any alternative arrangement for the same and consequently, patients were inconvenienced since they were required to buy these consumables out of their own pockets," the minister said.

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