Expired Medicines Plague Public Hospitals in Sindh as Oversight Crumbles

Patients visiting public hospitals across Sindh are unknowingly being handed expired or near-expiry medicines as hospitals scramble to manage drug shortages and procurement delays—raising serious questions about the safety of state-run healthcare facilities.

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A series of internal reports and interviews with hospital staff reveal a disturbing pattern: essential medicines past their shelf life are still being distributed to unsuspecting patients, particularly in outpatient departments (OPDs), due to gaps in regulatory enforcement and broken supply chains.

According to sources within the Sindh health department, hospitals have been operating without timely drug supplies for months, prompting administrators to stretch existing stocks—even if they are near or beyond expiry. In some cases, packaging is reportedly tampered with to obscure the original expiry dates.

“Medicines are being issued because there is no other option. If we stop, patients go home empty-handed,” admitted a pharmacist at a major government hospital in Karachi, requesting anonymity. “The procurement delays are so bad that we sometimes receive supplies just weeks before they expire.”

The problem is not limited to one facility. Multiple hospitals across Karachi, Hyderabad, and Sukkur report similar issues. A lack of proper inventory systems, understaffed pharmacies, and bureaucratic red tape in procurement processes have created a perfect storm, where expired drugs slip through the cracks.

Healthcare activists say the issue isn’t just administrative—it’s criminal negligence. “Giving expired medicines to patients isn’t just unethical, it’s dangerous,” said Dr. Sara Khan, a health policy researcher. “Where is the Drug Regulatory Authority? Where is the provincial oversight?”

Officials at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) claim they are aware of the situation but blame provincial departments for not reporting violations in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the Sindh Health Department insists that a new procurement policy is being finalized to prevent such incidents in the future.

However, for patients depending on free treatment at government facilities, the damage may already be done. Muhammad Javed, a resident of Korangi whose mother was given outdated medication for hypertension, shared his ordeal: “Her condition worsened. We later found out the medicine was expired. Who is responsible?”

With no digital tracking system in place and limited accountability, public trust in Sindh’s healthcare system continues to erode. Medical experts warn that unless urgent reforms are enacted—including real-time stock monitoring and swift disposal of expired drugs—lives will remain at risk.