Distribution of home isolation medical kits, under a scheme named after the Jharkhand chief minister, was temporarily halted in Ranchi within hours after it was started on Friday after complaints that many included expired medicines.

Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan issued a showcause notice to district programme manager Samresh Kumar for the gaffe and directed the civil surgeon’s office to fix accountability for the lapse on priority.

It couldn’t be ascertained how many medical kits had been distributed before these were temporarily halted. “After scrutinizing the kits, we will begin distribution again soon,” said an official, adding that about 10,000 medical kits for distribution had been readied.

In the morning, the administration deployed teams under the aegis of incident commanders to distribute Mukhyamantri Corona Rahat kits to those in home isolation. The free kits include masks, sanitisers and medicines to last for a week-10 days. However, the kits also contained antibiotic tablets Levocet-M, which had expired in November last year.

Ranjan said, “Yes, as soon as we learnt about it, I issued a showcause notice to the district programme manager and others concerned and asked the Ranchi sadar hospital management (civil surgeon’s office) to fix accountability.”

Bundu sub-divisional officer Ajay Kumar said that he too had received complaints about expired medicines in the kits and had apprised the deputy commissioner. “Wherever the lapse has occurred, we will investigate threadbare and strict action will be taken,” he said.

Sadar hospital management, in a separate communiqué, said some old kits which remained unutilized may have contained the antibiotic, which was no longer being prescribed. “In case anyone received the drug, we appeal to him/her not to consume it,” it read.

Currently, Ranchi has 5,800 active cases of Covid-19. More than 90 per cent of these people are are in home isolation.