Hyderabad: Experts fret about private pharmacies at government hospitals

Hyderabad: Even as Health Minister T Harish Rao has directed doctors not to write prescriptions to secure medicines from outside government hospitals, health experts question the very presence of private pharmacies inside government hospitals and also raise concerns over shortage of medicines.

The minister, during his surprise visit to Government Maternity Hospital, Koti, on Saturday warned doctors not to write prescriptions to purchase medicines from outside. However, the experts and doctors have expressed helplessness, as they allege that government hospitals were running short of even life-saving drugs.

They regretted running of private medical shops/pharmacies in government hospitals stating that they were thriving taking advantage of lack of medicines in the hospitals.

The Health Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA) president K Mahesh Kumar alleged that the Health minister, just for sake of his image in public, was targeting doctors. He also said the minister was unaware of ground realities about emergency and essential medicines deficit in government hospitals. The minister should shut down the pharmacies running in government hospitals with immediate effect.

Kumar said doctors are bound to write prescriptions outside because they may not have medicines in the hospital. If doctors depend on available stocks, what will happen to patients, he asked. He demanded the government to improve the supply chain of emergency and essential drugs from TSMSIDC. He said the basic drugs like Tab Clobazam, Sporlac, Lactulose syrup, Budecort neb, Levo salbutamol nen, Furoped drops, Nasoclear drops were not available in government hospitals.

Another doctor questioned why medical shops should function in government hospitals. Action should be taken against those who encourage private medical shops on hospital premises. He said the government should stop scrutiny and concentrate on flaws of infrastructure and drugs and lab tests availability and focus on poor patients who completely rely on government hospitals.