Chennai: The Greater Chennai Corporation has cancelled the services of a contract doctor after a controversy erupted over medicines allegedly being transported in a garbage collection vehicle to a government health centre in north Chennai.
"She (the doctor) has been relieved," a senior corporation officer told NDTV. On whether medicines were indeed transported in a garbage vehicle, the officer said, "An enquiry will be conducted by the appropriate authorities."
The medicines, including ferrous sulphate tablets for pregnant women, paracetamol syrup for children, and antibiotic vials, were transported in a garbage vehicle from Muthamizh Nagar to an urban primary health centre (UPHC) in Kodungaiyur, a distance of 1.5 km, a Times of India report said.
With no dedicated budget or arrangement for medicine delivery, the health centre staff sought help from the solid waste management department, which maintains garbage vehicles. The department, unaware of the consignment's nature, reportedly arranged the vehicle that made multiple trips to deliver the medical supplies.
Residents and health activists expressed outrage, warning that such unsafe practices could contaminate essential drugs and erode public confidence in the state's healthcare system.
"Essential drugs like antibiotics and syrups require safe handling and secure storage, which is not possible in vehicles meant for waste transport," said K Karan, a resident-activist from Meenambal Shivaraj Salai.
The controversy has also drawn sharp political reactions.
The disgraceful act of carrying life-saving medicines meant for pregnant women & children in a garbage truck to an urban primary health centre in Chennai's Kodungaiyur speaks volumes about the patchwork model DMK govt's utter disregard for the well-being of the people of TN.... pic.twitter.com/RcjwrTt1Ld
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) October 9, 2025 BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai, sharing a photograph of the report on X, said, "The disgraceful act of carrying life-saving medicines meant for pregnant women and children in a garbage truck to an urban primary health centre in Chennai's Kodungaiyur speaks volumes about the patchwork model DMK government's utter disregard for the well-being of the people of TN [Tamil Nadu]. Such glaring incompetence has turned governance into a mockery."
He linked the incident to the recent case where 21 children reportedly died after consuming toxic cough syrup allegedly manufactured by a Tamil Nadu-based pharma unit, which has since been ordered to stop production.
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