Sale of steroids sans doctors slip to invite action in Haryana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 18

As the number of black fungus infections rises, the Haryana today put in place measures to curb the irrational use of steroids.

Steroids are given to Covid patients to reduce inflammation, but doctors believe excessive and irrational use of the drugs is leading to black fungus infection among immune-compromised people.

Being a Schedule-H drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules, steroids cannot be sold to people without the prescription of registered medical practitioners, but the rules are hardly followed and the drug is being sold over the counter.

Narender Ahooja, State Drug Controller, Food and Drug Administration, today issued an order, making it mandatory for pharmacists to maintain a record of the sale of steroids and keep copies of prescription slips.

115 black fungus cases in state: Vij

Health Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday said that the Haryana Government had set up 20-bed wards in all medical colleges of the state to control black fungus. “District Medical Officers have been directed to refer black fungus patients to nearby medical colleges immediately. So far, 115 cases of the disease have been reported in the state. The government has adequate medicines for its treatment,” Vij said.