After irregularities were found in the pharmacy, the investigation process has been intensified and the committee has been given a deadline of 25 days to submit a report.
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An investigation committee has been formed after initial reports of a large quantity of medicines going missing from a pharmacy operating at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan became public.
According to the hospital's initial investigation, out of the medicines worth about Rs 55 million, Rs 50 million were missing from the stock, Rs 3.6 million were not accounted for in cash, Rs 400,000 were mishandled, and Rs 1.4 million were expired medicines.
According to the institute's spokesperson Dr. Anju Pradhan, a 5-member special investigation committee has been formed under the coordination of Dr. Bishnu Pokharel, Additional Professor of the Department of Orthopedics of the institute, to take action against the culprits after the misappropriation of medicines.
According to her, the investigation process has been intensified after irregularities were found in the pharmacy, and the committee has been given a deadline of 25 days to submit a report. She said, "There is no way to conclude that this incident is a scam at this stage. The investigation is being conducted only on the basis of preliminary facts. The culprits will be determined and action will be taken only after the final report of the committee."
Dr. Pradhan said that strict action will be taken against the culprits after the investigation and preparations are underway to bring the pharmacy back into operation. According to him, preparations are also being made to arrange alternative medicine supply to minimize the impact on patient services.
Meanwhile, the foundation has issued a statement explaining the incident. According to the statement issued by the foundation, the operation of the pharmacy was contracted to a private company named KTM Security Services Pvt. Ltd.
Despite repeated correspondence from the foundation, KTM Security Services Pvt. Ltd. failed to present its representative for the physical examination, resulting in the physical examination not being able to be conducted. As a result, the foundation also took action and stopped the company from regular discharge, the statement said.
Employees working through KTM Security Services Pvt. Ltd. had been protesting since August 18, protesting against non-payment of monthly salaries and obstructing the sale and distribution of medicines at the pharmacy. In the meantime, the foundation has been trying to solve the problem, but with the aim of bringing the pharmacy into operation by making alternative arrangements, and since some facts related to medicines and pharmaceutical materials were found to be abnormal during the physical examination of the pharmacy stock on 20th of last Shrawan, the foundation has formed an independent investigation committee to conduct an impartial investigation and is taking the necessary steps, the statement said.
As soon as the facts of the scam came to light, the foundation has temporarily closed the pharmacy. Due to the closure of the pharmacy, patients who came to the hospital for treatment have been forced to purchase medicines at expensive rates from external medical providers, while free medicine services under health insurance have also been suspended, due to which patients have been affected.
