Questions over public health safeguards in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have emerged after the district administration and police uncovered an alleged operation involving used surgical equipment, heart stents and expired medicines at a house in Peshawar, seizing items worth approximately Rs10 million.
The raid comes amid concerns over the alleged refurbishment and resale of discarded medical equipment, raising serious questions about the potential risks to patients if such items were supplied for use in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Assistant Commissioner Peshawar Fiza, accompanied by Yakka Toot Police Station SHO Riaz Afridi and other officials, led the raid at a house near Baiz-o-Qabar in the Lakha Darwaza area.
According to the district administration, the premises were allegedly being used to refurbish discarded surgical instruments and prepare them for resale. Expired and substandard medicines were also reportedly stored and supplied from the property.
Officials said the suspects allegedly collected used syringes, cannulas, surgical instruments and other medical equipment from hospitals, shops and garbage dumps before repairing them for reuse.
The raid resulted in the recovery of used medical supplies, heart stents, surgical instruments and medicines valued at around Rs10 million. Government-issued medicines bearing official stamps were also reportedly found at the premises.
The house owner and three workers were present during the operation. Police arrested the owner and registered a case, while further legal proceedings are under way.
The district administration warned that the reuse of discarded medical equipment could expose patients to serious health risks, including infections and the spread of communicable diseases.
The incident has raised concerns about the monitoring of medical supplies and the enforcement of safeguards against the circulation of potentially dangerous products in the province.
Authorities are investigating the alleged operation to establish the extent of the activity and identify others who may have been involved in the supply and distribution of the recovered items.
