Alarming Claims of Substandard Drugs and Procurement Scam Shake Parliament

Parliamentarians Warn of “50% Contractor Profit” in Dispensary Drug Scam

Nadeem Tanoli

Islamabad: A parliamentary committee has uncovered alarming allegations of medicine-related fraud involving the supply of ineffective drugs to government hospitals and a parallel procurement scam operating inside the Parliament House dispensary. The revelations raise serious concerns about public health safety, pharmaceutical oversight, and systemic corruption within healthcare procurement chains.

The most disturbing claim centers on the Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, where the quality of medicines supplied under government contracts was called into question. Ms. Aliya Kamran alleged that the medicines being dispensed were of such poor quality that they were therapeutically ineffective. She told the committee that doctors at Polyclinic were advising parents of sick children to purchase medicine privately, saying, “Khud doctors ne unko kaha ke bhai, kisi aur private ja ke dawai le ke aa jayein, bachay theek ho jayenge” (“The doctors themselves told them, ‘Go buy the medicine from a private pharmacy, your children will get well’”).

Ms. Kamran further questioned how contractors could profit at such suspiciously low contractual prices, implying that substandard materials must be used. “Woh samajh se baala-tar hai ke usko yahan se kya benefit mil raha hai,” she said, suggesting that only cutting quality could explain such low bids.

Another member Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi went as far as to accuse local pharmaceutical manufacturers of massive fraud, claiming that “Panadol contains nothing but chalk”, a statement highlighting widespread distrust in locally produced medicines. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) was directed to collect samples from Polyclinic for testing. While DRAP has completed sample collection, its final laboratory report is still awaited. The committee decided to defer further action until the findings are released.

The second case involved a sophisticated procurement scam at the Parliament House dispensary. Members described a manipulative scheme where contractors exploit the privileges of parliamentarians to bill the government for medicines never actually dispensed. According to testimony, when a parliamentarian requests a medicine not listed on the dispensary’s approved formulary, the contractor offers a “solution”: the member signs a prescription for an entirely different but expensive approved medicine. The contractor then bills the government for that costly drug and secretly uses part of the payment to purchase the originally requested unlisted medicine — pocketing what one member said was a 50% profit margin.

This fraudulent practice not only causes direct financial loss to the state but also misuses the names and signatures of parliamentarians, some of whom may be unaware of the deception. Lawmakers expressed embarrassment that the abuse of privilege could reach such a level within their own institution.

To counter the fraud, the committee urged the adoption of a transparency model used by the Senate, where each member receives a detailed monthly statement of all medicines dispensed under their name. Such documentation would establish accountability, prevent fraudulent prescriptions, and ensure the proper use of public funds.