Doctor held for selling abortion pill at exorbitant price

THRISSUR: A doctor was held for selling abortion pills at an exorbitant price at a private clinic near educational institutions.  Dr P Abdul Jaleel, owner of Sins Clinic in Kozhikode was taken into custody by the drugs controller intelligence. A case has been registered against the doctor as per drug control act and the offence is sure to imprison him for atleast  seven years.

Dr Jaleel misused the act relaxed for private doctors to sell medicine without license. The price of the tablet kit containing four is Rs 850. The company will give three as free when the seller buys one and the maximum price for it is Rs 230, but the doctor used to charge Rs 2900.

Though abortion is legalized in India, it will be permitted only in emergency situations. The doctor should directly examine the health condition of the woman undergoing abortion. However, Dr Jaleel supplies medicine whoever goes there. The drugs control department obtained secret information about it four months back. The sudden financial growth of the doctor surprised everyone. His clinic in a rented building was soon shifted to his own building. He owned many vehicles.

Medicine demanded was given to an official of the drugs control department without any question. As a bill was not provided, the official sought the help of a panchayat member. According to that, he reached the clinic along with the panchayat member with specially marked notes. The doctor was caught red-handed when he was trying to give the medicine after accepting money. Almost ten tablets were seized from the clinic.

Deputy drugs controller Ravi S Menon said that this is the first case registered in India. The team consisted of drugs intelligence inspector Shaji M Varghese, regional drug inspector Subhash Menon, inspectors Harish Kumar, Deny Mathew, Mahalakshmi and Shanthikrishna.

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