Steps to avert breakdown of drug supplies to hospitals

By M. Dinesh Varma

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 2. The Government appears to have shaped up a response to avert a total breakdown of the supply of drugs to State-run hospitals after major pharmaceuticals threatened to suspend supplies amid mounting bill payment arrears.

The Government owes drug suppliers about Rs. 30 crores, a debt which has been accumulating since 1999. Some time back, a corpus of Rs. 8 crores was released to the firms along with an assurance that a phased pay-back schedule would be established. The Cabinet had recently given the nod for a mechanism of repaying a small part of the arrear amount every month.

``Given the financial contraints of the Government, we can only try our best to ensure that the supply chain does not snap. The situation is far from rosy at the moment,'' the Health Secretary, Mr. Ramamurthi, told The Hindu.

Doctors had also been specifically instructed to make emergency purchases in instances of dire shortage of life-saving medicines against a guarantee of fund-placement at a later date.

The Health Department is engaged in balancing the needs of the poor and needy patients, which forms part of the duties of Government, against the interests of the drug suppliers.

However, the drug stock position at over-crowded referral institutions such as the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College is said to be precarious after as many as 20 drug suppliers suspended supplies under the pressure of the All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA).

According to the Kerala Hospital Community Pharmacy Employees' Association, shortage of life-saving and other medicines was causing much hardship to patients.

On being petitioned on the plight, the State Human Rights Commission Member, Mr. S. Balaraman, recently issued notices to as many as 20 drug firms which were not supplying medicines to the paying counter at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

The Commission, which has sought a detailed response from the firms within two weeks, is scheduled to gather further evidence on the issue on October 10.

Meanwhile, representatives of the AKCDA claimed at a press meet the other day that there was no scarcity of life saving medicines in the State. Reports to the contrary were baseless and aimed at misleading the general public and protecting vested interests of certain business houses, the AKCDA alleged.

All the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers had, through their wide network of distributors in the State, stocked their products in adequate quantities and there was absolutely no room room for concern in this regard.

Through more than 7,000 chemist shops in the State, all the essential drugs were being made available at prices fixed by the Union Government, the AKCDA said.

Reacting to the statement, the paying counter employees condemned the AKCDA for derogatory remarks made against the paying counter, which enjoyed immense popularity and support of the patients and general public.

The AKCDA had been waging a running battle with the 24-hour paying counter which provided medicines at fair prices and is run by the Medical College Hospital Development Society.

The staff clarified that the petition to the Human Rights Commission had been submitted by patients who were undergoing hardship due to shortage of medicines. The paying counter authorities had not petitioned the Commission seeking action against the suppliers.

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Section  : Southern States
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