Vitamin A plus campaign today without ‘substandard’ Indian capsule

The national vitamin A plus campaign postponed about three weeks ago after problems were found in texture of vitamin capsules will be held today with locally produced vitamin capsules. 
The alleged substandard vitamin capsules that led to the postponement of the campaign on January 17 were supplied by Softesule, an Indian pharmaceutical company.
Investigation to determine whether or not the capsules were substandard ended inconclusive after investigators completed their work with only recommendation of a set of six tests of samples at laboratories.
Institute of Public Health and Nutrition said that samples were sent to Drug Testing Laboratory in the capital but the test was not yet completed.
Gazi Ahmed Hasan, IPHN focal person, said that field offices were ready with fresh supplies of vitamin capsules to hold the national vitamin supplementation campaign.
‘Capsules in which problems were reported earlier were immediately withdrawn,’ said Gazi Ahmed Hasan, also deputy programme manager of the campaign.
Vitamin capsules are liquid wrapped in transparent gelatine coating. They come in red and blue colours to be fed to children of different age groups.
The red vitamin capsules were found clumped in many districts just a day before the campaign was scheduled to be held on January 19.
The red capsules are meant to be fed to about 2 crore children aged between 12 and 59 months. 
Gazi Ahmed Hasan said that fresh supplies of red capsules were bought from local pharmaceutical company Renata Limited. 
Another local company, Globe Pharmaceuticals Ltd, supplied 95 per cent of the blue capsules to be fed to 25 lakh children aged between six and 11 months, he said.
The rest of the blue capsules were in IPHN store, he said, adding that those were bought by UNICEF from Canada. 
Drug Administration, immediately after the suspension of the vitamin A plus campaign, had said that Softesule obtained the work of supplying the vitamin capsules in breach of regulatory processes. 
It said that Central Medical Stores Depot had manipulated tender process in favour of the Indian company in 2016. 
It said that its opposition to awarding the work to Softesule resulted in a long legal wrangle that ended with the Indian company winning last year.
Drug Administration also said that it conducted minimal test while receiving supplies from Softesule last year.
The vitamin capsules were bought from Softesule spending Tk 4.80 crore.
On Saturday, the capsules would be fed to children from 1,20,000 permanent and 20,000 mobile health centres across the country.
The mobile health centres, set up at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, ferry terminals, bridge toll centres and kheya ghats, would remain open from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
This was not the first time the national vitamin supplementation programme was postponed since its introduction in the 1990s.
It was postponed in 2016 after the World Bank refused to provide fund for it citing lack of transparency in the purchase of vitamin A capsules.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net