The Department of Health appeals to citizens who have sought medical treatment from Huang Huozhang, the resident Chinese medicine practitioner of the New Evergreen Chinese and Western Medicine Shop, on the ground floor of You Ming Building, Tai Long Street, Kwai Chung, to stop using a yellow tablet prescribed by him, as the tablet may contain undeclared western medicine ingredients. In response to the incident, the Police yesterday arrested a 69-year-old man for unlawful possession of Part 1 poisons, antibiotics and unregistered pharmaceutical products. The investigation is still ongoing.
The DH received notification from the HA earlier of a suspected poisoning case involving a 9-year-old boy. The patient had consulted the above Chinese medicine practitioner for eczema and was prescribed medicines, including a yellow tablet. He developed weight gain and facial swelling following taking the medication. The department received the test results from the HA yesterday followingnoon, which showed that the yellow tablet sample provided by the patient contained the western medicine “dexamethasone”. The patient has been referred to a public hospital for treatment and is currently in stable condition. The department has not received any notification of other relevant cases so far.
After receiving the laboratory results of the HA, the DH immediately raided the premises of the above-mentioned Chinese medicine practitioners and seized a batch of suspected controlled drugs, including the yellow tablets suspected to contain western medicine, Part 1 poisons, antibiotics and unregistered pharmaceutical products.