Editors PickNational News

Indian hospital dispels bogus drugs fears

A hospital in India where the Malawi Government refers cancer patients has admitted that it is aware of concerns raised by its international patients regarding news of bogus drugs for cancer treatment.

Government, through Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe on Wednesday expressed fear over social media reports that the hospital was administering spurious cancer drugs because Malawi refers its patients there.

Artemis Hospital in India where government refers patients

But Artemis Hospital, in a press statement published in The Nation on Wednesday, said it wanted to assure its valued international patients and their stakeholders that it is a JCI [Joint Commission International] accredited hospital that follows all stringent guidelines pertaining to patient care, safety protocols, medical advancement and community involvement.

Reads the statement in part: “Our quality assurance processes and procedures ensure that our drugs/medicines consistently meet the highest standards. This includes rigorous testing, third-party audits, and continuous monitoring.”

The hospital, according to the statement signed by its head of international marketing Diveya Shah, says they do not allow patients to buy medicines from outside to prevent spurious drugs.

Artemis said the fake drugs are used in unregulated small hospitals/nursing homes, adding they were aware of some unverified/miscreant news doing the rounds on social media and it had nothing to do with their patients.

“We understand that our success depends on the trust and satisfaction of our patients, and we are fully dedicated to maintaining the same level of trust and transparent communication.

“Our sole objective is to ensure that every patient has a positive experience with Artemis Hospitals, and we will go above and beyond to achieve this. Artemis would like to thank our patients, partners, and stakeholders for their continuous support during this time,” it reads.

The hospital said it strives to be a place where patients can receive comprehensive, compassionate care that helps them not only survive but thrive, adding the hospital ensures it is providing high-quality care that meets the needs of their patients.

Artemis Hospital, established in 2007 and spread across nine acres, has a 600-plus beds and is located in New Delhi.

Chikumbe said the ministry has since tasked Malawi’s foreign mission in India to engage the hospital to establish the truth.

He said Artemis Hospital has had good international reputation, has highly trained human resource, appropriate infrastructure, equipment and medical supplies and it is where Malawi looked up to for external referral.

Health activist Maziko Matemba, who is executive director of Health and Rights Education Programme, said for the Malawi Government to identify Artemis Hospital for referrals, it meant it must be a hospital of good repute.

He, however, said there was need to leave nothing to chance and supported government’s decision to assign officers at its foreign mission in India to probe the matter. Matemba said the social media reports being referred to were serious and require thorough probe to get to the truth.

Related Articles

Back to top button