The Kozhikode Corporation has begun taking back medicines supplied to health and wellness centres and other primary health centres under its limits after several medicines were found to be nearing expiry, while some had already expired.

The move comes less than a week after councillors raised the issue at a Corporation council meeting, prompting Mayor O. Sadasivan to direct the civic body’s health wing to examine the matter and submit a report.

Following the complaints, the Corporation has begun an inventory of medicines nearing expiry and is taking back excess and old stock from the health centres. Medicines have already been taken back from five health centres, according to the Corporation’s health wing.

Officials said the agency that supplied the medicines was taking them back and that the process would be completed by Monday (September 7). The medicines taken back would be replaced, they said.

During the council meeting last week, councillor Saritha Parayeri drew the Corporation’s attention to the issue. BJP councillors Ms. Parayeri and N. Sivaprasad said that most of the medicines supplied to the health centre in their wards were nearing their expiry dates.

Congress councillor K.C. Shobhitha alleged that there was a larger “lobby” behind the supply of old medicines and urged the Corporation authorities to bring the matter to the attention of the State government.

The Mayor said the Corporation did not procure the medicines directly and that they were supplied through the National Health Mission (NHM) from the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (KMSCL). The medicines were supplied by the Corporation to the health centres when there was a shortage in the availability of medicines supplied through the NHM, officials said.