Authorities have sealed 35 pharmacies operating inside the premises of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) in Dharan after a joint inspection found multiple legal and regulatory violations.

The inspection, which began in mid-July, was carried out by a joint team comprising officials from the Area Administration Office, Area Police Office, Department of Drug Administration’s Biratnagar office and representatives from the concerned ward offices, according to Police Inspector Binalal Sah of the Area Police Office, Dharan.

By Monday, the team had sealed 35 pharmacies after finding various breaches, Shah said.

The affected pharmacies were found operating without required legal documents, running under the names of individuals other than the registered owners, operating without registered pharmacists present, or failing to renew their business registrations, according to police.

Some pharmacies were also sealed after shutting down and becoming unreachable after learning about the inspection, while others faced action for refusing to cooperate with the monitoring team.

Authorities have instructed the owners of the sealed pharmacies to appear before the relevant agencies with necessary documents. Officials said further action would be taken in accordance with existing laws after reviewing the submitted documents.

The inspection drive was intensified after 12 people were arrested last month on charges of acting as middlemen within the BPKIHS premises. The district administration has since continued monitoring pharmacies operating inside the hospital complex.

The administration has urged all pharmacy operators within the institute premises to complete legal requirements before conducting business and said inspections would continue in the coming days.