200 government hospitals face medicine, funds crunch in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The unprecedented rise in dengue and viral fevers this year in the State resulted in drying up of medicine stock and funds in the government hospitals across the State.

In over 200 hospitals, budget on medicines is completely over. In three months period (August to October) alone this monsoon, the Health department had spent Rs 40 crore on medicines, such as antibiotics, IV fluids and other medical drugs, that was supplied to various State hospitals in all districts to be given to patients coming for treatment of various viral fevers, dengue and also water-borne diseases.

Even in the month of November, there is no respite to the department as fever cases including dengue are being registered at various places across the State. Only Rs 10 crore worth of medicinal stocks are left with drug stores at present and this is to be dispatched to hospitals at the earliest.

It may be mentioned here that the government had cut down on budget allocation for procuring medicines this year. As against Rs 332 crore allocated in the previous budget this year only Rs 226 crore was given.

Of this TSMSIDC (Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development) gets a major share while hospitals are given some shares for procuring medicines at their end. However, due to fevers on an unprecedented scale this year, almost all State hospitals have spent the special budget with them for procuring additional medicines for fever as daily hundreds of patients were flocking to their hospitals for treatment.

Nearly 200 hospitals have dried up their special budget for medicines. In this backdrop, TSMSIDC has written to the Health Department to allocate additional budget without which hospitals are left with no medicines and drugs to give to patients coming for treatment.