KABUL (SW) – The Afghanistan’s National Food and Drugs Administration (AFDA), has burned 15,000 cartons of low-quality and outdated medicines in Kabul city through a program on Tuesday.
Nematullah Raufi, deputy of Medicine Services of the AFDA, said that over the past six months, they have collected expired medicines from drugstores and hospitals, aiming to preserve human life and contribute to building a healthier community.
He adds that the drugstores and hospitals from which outdated or low-quality drugs were collected have been listened to and will be introduced to judicial institutions if this violation is repeated.
He emphasizes that drugstores and hospitals that provided expired or substandard medications have been reminded and warned, and according to him, if such violations are repeated, they will be reported to judicial institutions.
Meanwhile, a number of Kabul residents, expressing concern about the sale of low-quality and outdated medicines in pharmacies, ask the responsible institutions to prevent this situation.
Mohammad Ali, a resident of Khairkhana area in Kabul city, says: “When you take the medicine, it doesn’t work; This result turns out that the drugs are of low-quality and out of date, and at the same time, they are very expensive.”
“Unfortunately, recently, in markets and pharmacies, low-quality medicines have increased that we are worried, because these medicines not only do not cure pain, but also make the patient suffer from all kinds of diseases,” said Farhad, another resident of Kabul.
AFDA officials urge hospitals, medicine manufacturing companies, and traders to ensure the consumption of medicines and feedstuffs before their expiration dates or to submit them to the administration for distribution to those in need.
Afghanistan is one of the countries that relies heavily on importing medicines, with a significant portion of its consumption needs sourced from Pakistan, India, and Iran.
