Kozhikode: The Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) has decided to stop distribution of rabies vaccine which was yet to receive approval from the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) in the state after the move sparked a controversy.
Virtually admitting to its lapse in the matter, the KMSCL ordered 5,000 vials of CDL-certified rabies vaccine from Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited.
Sriram Venkitaraman, the managing director of KMSCL who is presently in New Delhi, contacted the authorities in Tamil Nadu and the vaccine approved by CDL reached Palakkad in Kerala last Saturday.
Officials at Palakkad have been instructed not to open the consignment, but distribute the vaccines in all districts.
After it emerged that a grave lapse had occurred at the official level in KMSCL in distributing an unapproved vaccine, a blame game started in the corporation between the managing director, general manager and quality controller.
The three top officials are now engaged in mudslinging over the delay in tender procedures and purchase of the vaccine before its quality checks were completed.
In fact, the quality controller is learnt to have noted in the relevant file that the purchase and distribution of the rabies vaccine even before the completion of the preliminary tests was improper.
Moreover, the purchase section of KMSCL had earlier itself pointed out the risk and dangers in buying a vaccine which lacked a CDL certificate.
