Patients at Osmania General Hospital forced to buy medicines outside

Afzalgunj: Patients to the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) are being told to buy medicines from outside for the last two weeks. There is no stock of medicines in departments. Dr PS Vijayender, Chairman of Telangana Junior Doctor JAC said, the lack of medicine in Government Sector hospitals like Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital since 15 days, many patients were given a general medicine in emergency cases, no lifesaving drugs and a anesthesia drugs in Emergency casualty, apart from this heavy medicines there is also a lack of antibiotics, pain relievers etc. even in in-patient there is lack of general use medicines and patients are forced to buy the medicines from outside and a OPI drugs were also not provided easily to the patients without Hospital authority permission.

The 1,300-bedded hospital is bursting at the seams. Doctors complain that the number of patients outnumbers the beds and it is a huge problem. The out-patients to OGH is around 2,000 daily. The lack of medicines for anesthesia and even general medicine is crippling the services. Meharunnissa Begum, who accompanied her mother, said, “People from poor background come to the hospital and they cannot afford to buy medicines from outside.”  PS Vijayender says that the situation in other government hospitals too is the same. For instance, recently, a patient who met with an accident was rushed to Gandhi Hospital and he was given a Tetanus Toxoid injection and sent away. 

“In government sector drug forecasting should done by the hospital administration. The Directorate of Medical Education (DME), Department of Health and TVBP need to be proactive. Due to the improper forecasting of drugs, the supply is intermittent. Apart from lack of medicine there is also a lack of diagnostic equipment and staff. A patient should wait for around minimum 15 days for MRI, CT scan or any X Rays. As a result, patients are forced to do the tests outside.  Abdul Razzak, an Asthma patient and a resident of Falaknuma said, he was admitted in hospital seven days back and has been buying medicines all by himself. Asif Khan, an out-patient and a resident of Hassan Nagar said that he came hospital and was diagnosed with viral fever but all that he is being given is paracetamol tablets.