After a search warrant, the inspectors of Drug Regulatory Authority today searched and seized some 90 packets of traditional medicine from a local medical practitioner in Semtokha, Thimphu.
It was reported that a Bhutanese living in Geneva suffered from lead poisoning after taking medicine from the practitioner.
At the end of last year, he visited Thimphu and took the traditional medicine from the local medical practitioner, a monk, to treat facial nerve palsy. And in two months time, he was admitted in one of the hospitals in Geneva with acute pain in the stomach and right side of the abdomen.
The Director General of the Department of Public Health, Dr. Dorji Wangchuk, who was in Geneva last month said it took the doctors there about two weeks to know the cause of the pain. The man’s blood and hair sample revealed high level of lead and he was anemic.
“The forensic people have concluded that the rieb (a roll of tradition medicine) had high lead content,” said Dr. Dorji Wangchuk.
Doctors say lead is toxic to all organs. “Everybody should now surrender this rieb and whatever riebs he has got, I think we would request the person to come and say that wherever he has dispensed, particularly if he has dispensed to children. This is very serious issue because children will die of serious lead poisoning,” said the Director General.
The Lam, popularly known as, has many customers. The Health Ministry is cautioning people not to buy any locally made medicines from unlicensed practitioners.
The seized items will be sent for further laboratory test.
