JAIPUR: Two days after Delhi Police crime branch arrested four people and seized 22 vials of costly oncology and immunotherapy drugs, PBM Hospital in Bikaner Thursday said its records accounted for every vial received from Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL) for free supply to govt hospitals.The assertion came amid reports that four seized vials were meant for cancer patients at Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Treatment and Research Institute, which functions under PBM Hospital.Hospital officials said an internal inquiry was conducted after the seizure triggered suspicion over possible diversion of medicines supplied by RMSCL. The clarification, however, has raised fresh questions because out of 22 recovered vials, four were allegedly linked to Bikaner’s govt supply chain.While PBM Hospital insists it has detailed records of the receipt and administration of these medicines, RMSCL managing director Pukhraj Sen failed to respond to TOI phone calls for his statement.According to a report prepared by PBM Hospital on the directions of Health and Medical Education minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar, the hospital received 600 vials of Bavencio, an expensive injection used in cancer treatment, from RMSCL. The vials were received in Aug 2025 in two batches of 300 each. Of these, PBM Hospital supplied 20 vials to Jhalawar Medical College for treatment of patients at the govt hospital. After the transfer, PBM was left with 580 vials.“Since Aug 2025, we have administered 294 vials to patients and we have records of each patient who received the drug. We currently have a stock of 286 vials. This shows that no vial has gone outside the hospital. We have complete records of every vial received from RMSCL,” said Dr BC Ghiya, PBM Hospital superintendent. Dr Ghiya added that one patient gets four doses of the drug during his hospital admission. “It is administered in the hospital only.”Following the seizure, Health minister Khimsar ordered a review of safeguards concerning high-value cancer medications. He directed officials to tighten tracking from warehouse to patient, verify consumption records and enhance hospital-level supervision. RMSCL and health department officials have been tasked with identifying gaps that could enable drug diversion and submitting measures for the real-time monitoring of expensive medicines.
