WITH the mercury touching unprecedented levels, especially in interior Sindh, pharmaceutical storage is a critical issue.
In Jacobabad, medical retail establishments simply fail to store medicines at the recommended temperatures. This is a grave public health issue that is being ignored by the retailers and the regulatory authorities alike.
The city`s extreme climatic conditions, where summer temperatures surpass 50°C, demand urgent intervention to rectify the hazardous storage practicesjeopardising medicinal efficacy and patient safety. Most medical stores operate without temperature-controlled environments, directly contravening international pharmaceutical storage protocols.
Medications, including thermolabile drugs, are routinely exposed to ambient heat, risking chemical degradation and loss of therapeutic integrity.
Peer-reviewed studies and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines explicitly stipulate that deviations from prescribed storage conditions (typically 15-25°C for most pharmaceuticals) compromise product stability, rendering treatments ineffective or potentially hazardous.
The prevailing negligence disproportionately endangers a population already burdened by increasing rates of hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in which routine access to reliable medication is a matter of life and death.Equally concerning is the pervasive absence of licensed pharmacists overseeing these establishments. The operation of medical stores without qualified personnel violates the Drugs Act, 1976, and reflects a broader collapse of regulatory oversight.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) must clarify why enforcement mechanisms have failed to address these violations. This sheer dereliction of duty has perpetuated a cycle of public health crises. Jacobabad`s vulnerable commu-nities deserve accountability.
