Probe into ‘contaminated drug stocks’ at SMC

Manama : A medical committee of five members was formed to investigate the issue of discovering unidentified objects in containers of antibiotics recently at a pharmacy in the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).

It is learnt that the committee will be chaired by the head of the medical maintenance and supply division in the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital in coordination with Assistant Undersecretary of Hospitals at the Ministry of Health Walid Al Manea, the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital and the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA).

According to sources, the committee will take the task of investigating the information received by the pharmacy of SMC about the existence of antibiotic containers with unidentified objects, take samples of these objects and analyse them to find out the reality of the information.

“The committee will prepare a report describing the components of these objects and clarifying if they are or are not suitable for human use. In case of being not suitable for human use, the country of origin, the producing company and its agent in the Kingdom and the importer, who purchased them, the date of arrival to the hospitals shall be determined as well as to determine their responsibilities and take the necessary action towards patients’ security with regard to all the controls of administrative investigation, according to law.”

Members of the committee are head of the immunisation group Jalila Sayed Jawad, the head of the primary health pharmacy department, Wijdan Manizel, the senior purchasing specialist in the support services department, Nora Mubarak, the head of the pharmaceutical organisation in NHRA, Rouya Al Abbasi, and a representative of human resources management.

There were reports about the discovery of parts of insects in stocks of antibiotic called cloxacillan, which was imported from an Asian country. Reportedly, SMC withdrew all new quantities of this drug imported which was imported by a private company.