Balangir: Exposing poor healthcare services in the State, a woman of Bileisarada village under Puintala block in the district was shocked to find tissue papers in a medicine strip instead of tablets, on Saturday.
According to reports, the woman patient, identified as Sita Rana, consulted a doctor for some ailment. The doctor prescribed a tablet named Zota, a strip of which was also given to the patient by him. When she opened the medicine to consume it, she found tissue papers in the medicine strip instead of tablets.
The medicine strip has no mention of the manufacturing company, composition and expiry date.
"I was not feeling well, so consulted the doctor. He gave me the medicine from his own clinic. I had to split the medicine as it's size was big but instead of tablet I found tissue papers," Sita said, adding that the doctor charged Rs 360 for the checkup.
The doctor, identified as Pradeep Panda, admitted to his mistake and said he might have given the sample medicine in haste without checking it.
Meanwhile, the regional manager of Zota pharmaceuticals, Lalit Kumar Mishra said the sample packet was given to the doctor as gift.
"Zota is a reputed company. It is prescribed to treat cold but the strip given to the doctor was not medicine; it's size was bigger than the normal Zota tablets, and was given for personal use. The company is not guilty for the carelessness of the doctor," Mishra added.
It is worth mentioning that a massive fake drug manufacturing and supply racket was once busted in Balangir in 2007. Several people involved in the fake and spurious drug manufacturing, were arrested.