JEDDAH, 11 October — A committee set up by the Health Ministry to probe theft of medicine from its warehouse in Makkah found the facility’s clerk guilty and asked him to pay the value of stolen medicine.
The action comes after the department of medical supplies in Makkah received information that a cleaning worker at the warehouse was arrested for smuggling out cartons of a particular medicine from the warehouse.
Dr. Abdul Ghafour Al-Turkistani, supervisor of medical warehouses in the holy city, told Arab News that the committee has already conveyed its decision to the health affairs director in Makkah.
He said the committee asked the clerk to pay the cost of the stolen medicine because he was found to be negligent. Police had arrested a number of cleaning workers on suspicion of involvement in the scandal, but were released later on bail after failing to find finding any conclusive evidence.
Security officers also could not find traces of the stolen medicine at the cleaning workers’ living quarters. But Turkistani said the contracting company had deported suspects.
The department for supervising medical warehouses in Makkah has started taking stock of medicine at warehouses in the city to ensure that no pilferage has occurred.
