Bahrain will soon set up a committee to probe the use of sedatives in hospitals, a report said.

This follows directives by HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, according to the report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

An initial investigation by a security team revealed the import and consumption of large quantities of sedatives by the health sector over the last few years – especially those containing morphine, pethidine and codeine.

It also revealed a lack of control over storage and prescription of these drugs and ignorance about the procedures to deal with them. Contradictions were found in the data relating to their purchase and prescription.

The committee, which will be chaired by the Director-General of Crime Detection and Forensic Science, will probe all administrative and criminal irregularities.

It will make recommendations to reduce the import, purchase and prescription of those drugs and also come out with detailed reports. – TradeArabia News Service