# Bihar health department launches helpline against fake medicines 2026-10-28T22:30:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Bihar health department on Wednesday (28 October 2026) launched a dedicated email ID and helpline for complaints against fake and substandard medicines. People can email complaints to drugcomplaintbihar@gmail.com or call 0612-4619634. The email facility is available round the clock, while the helpline operates Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. Health minister Nishant Kumar directed officials to strengthen drug quality surveillance and take strict action against manufacturers and sellers violating norms. He stressed scientific testing of medicines, regular inspections and enforcement of quality standards. The department urged people to report medicines classified as Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and other suspected substandard drugs. Complaints will be investigated and the identity of complainants will be kept confidential. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The helpline gives patients and chemists a direct channel to flag substandard drugs without fear of retaliation, since identities are confidential. The health minister’s directive to strengthen surveillance and enforce quality standards signals that the department intends to act on complaints. The gap between the round-the-clock email and the weekday-only helpline may limit urgent reports to written complaints outside office hours. How many complaints are filed and what action follows will show whether the initiative deters manufacturers of NSQ drugs. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Straight news report on government launch, no framing bias This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Bihar health department, fake medicines, Nishant Kumar, Patna Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bihar-health-department-launches-helpline-against-fake-medicines/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bihar-health-department-launches-helpline-against-fake-medicines/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/