Chandigarh: The Centre on Friday asked the Punjab government to clarify its position on the reports regarding the alleged misuse of ambulance vans and medicines in the state.
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Santosh Chowdhary in a letter to Punjab Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal has pointed out vehicles provided to the state by the Centre under "108 Ambulance Emergency Van" service were allegedly used to carry liquor and money for distribution to voters during elections.
Chowdhary and Mittal held a meeting on July 17 to discuss the alleged misuse of ambulances in the state.
The Union Minister also quoted a media report which claimed that Mittal himself caught an ambulance carrying large quantity of drugs in 09 bags and later in 6 more bags, in at Kiratpur under his own Assembly constituency Anandpur Sahib.
She also sought details about the quantity and value of medicines purchased during the last 2 years and of these, how many have not been distributed to the patients due to expiry of dates with the reasons thereof.
Chowdhary asked whether any inquiry has made regarding the racket of syphoning-off of the medicines which were to be distributed to the poor and taking them to the market.
"Such medicines have to be destroyed as per the procedure," she said.
The Union Minister also asked for action against the erring official for the gross misconduct and immediate remedial steps in this regard.
PTI
First Published: Friday, August 9, 2013, 18:28
