The hazards of look alike packaging in anaesthesia practice

We address a problem that we faced while working at a tertiary level teaching institute. Our institution follows a zero prescription policy where all the drugs, intravenous fluids and commodities are available on schedule. According to our local government policy, the company that matches the desired specifications and has the lowest price point gets the contract for supplying the drug. Reducing the cost of production often leads to reduction in the quality and safety of the products. In municipal hospitals, purchasing of drugs is the exclusive responsibility of the municipal pharmacy, and usually, the drugs are purchased without reference or discussion with the concerned department. Any changes in supply or packaging are usually not officially communicated to the users, as was in our case.