Patients are standing in long lines at the pharmacy of Delhi’s government hospitals to get medicines. Despite this, they are unable to get the medicines prescribed by the doctor. Many medicines are out of stock at the hospitals pharmacies.
Patients are upset and saying that they have to buy medicines ‘from outside,’ meaning they have to pay at a medical store, even though medicines are free at Delhi’s government hospitals and Mohalla Clinics. Patients have been facing this problem for the past year. Even medicines for conditions like nausea and vomiting are out of stock.
Medicine Shortages in Hospitals Create Problems for Patients
Kalpana, a 26-year-old woman from Khoda Colony, visited Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital with her 8-month-old daughter to buy medicines. She told Indian Express that the doctor gave her a prescription for 4 medicines, but two of them—nasal drops and a multivitamin syrup—were not available at the hospital. She was only able to get syrup for allergies and fever and will have to buy the other two medicines from a medical store. Kalpana mentioned that this problem has been happening for the past year.
Similarly, Jaychand, who lives in Gadoli near Mayur Vihar, faced the same issue. the doctor gave him a prescription for 3 medicines but he could only get Pantop-40 for acidity. The pharmacist told him that he would have to buy the medicines for diabetes, swelling and pain from outside.
Shortage of Essential Medicines in Hospitals Affects Patient Care
According to Indian Express, Cha Cha Nehru Children’s Hospital has run out of stock for medicines like Domperidone (for nausea and vomiting), Amoxiclav (for bacterial infections), and Cefixime 200MG. A resident doctor from GTB Hospital said that basic medicines for vomiting, fever, and acidity are also unavailable at the pharmacy.
A doctor from a government dispensary near the UP border mentioned that they are not able to prescribe even simple antibiotics like Vancomycin. Painkillers like Diclofenac, Vitamin D and C tablets are also out of stock. In fact, medicines used for treating heart attacks are unavailable too.
The issue for smaller government hospitals is that they cannot buy medicines directly. They rely on the Central Purchase Agency (CPA) for supplies. Doctors say that big hospitals like Lok Nayak have permission to buy medicines locally, but smaller hospitals do not have this option.
Why is There a Medicine Shortage in Delhi’s Government Hospitals?
The shortage of medicines in Delhi’s government hospitals has happened due to delays in the tender process, according to sources in the health department. One officials told Indian express that even if the current tender process is completed on time, the medicine shortage will likely continue for at least next 6 months. If they don’t start now, no one knows when the situation will improve.
What is the Tender System?
The tender system is used to invite medicine making companies to supply medicines. It takes some time to check and approve these tenders. Delhi’s Health Minister, Pankaj Singh, explained that some of the companies in the tenders were blacklisted, which is causing delays as they are reviewing the legal issues. However, the Health Minister claimed that the situation is better now compared to a month ago, and hospitals have started receiving necessary medicines.
This medicine shortage is not new in Delhi. In the second half of last year, hospitals also ran out of medicines because the Central Purchase Agency (CPA) did not buy the required medicines.
