Ruia patients deprived of generic medicines

Tirupati: The government’s push towards generic medical shops seems to have no effect on one of the major establishments of Rayalaseema region. The SVRRGG Hospital which caters the multitude of medical needs of the people in Rayalaseema region and the neighbouring Nellore districts has surprisingly no outlet of dispensing generic medicines.

And poor patients in Ruia Hospital were forced to buy the branded medicines by paying higher prices in the medical shops outside. The central and state governments were giving top priority to generic shops with an objective of ensuring availability of quality medicines at affordable prices to all.

However, the largest tertiary care hospital in Rayalaseema, having 1000 plus beds for in patients and about 1500 out patients availing of medical services daily, was having two generic shops initially in tune with the government’s policy.

Government prescribed to establish one generic medical shop in any government hospital having less than 500 beds and two shops in hospitals having more than 500 beds. While one shop allotted to DWCRA women was closed following court stay orders, the other shop had become non-functional due to the apathy of the hospital management.

It was learnt that, the medical shop owner in the hospital premises got the generic shop license on his family member’s name. He approached court with the argument that when he got the licence to open a generic shop how can another shop be opened?. Sources said that the hospital authorities failed to bring forward the fact that it can have two generic shops.

But, the medical shop owner has closed down the generic shop and selling only branded medicines now. Paying only nominal rent to the hospital management, he was running the shop since 2009 by getting court orders. With political involvement, authorities were not taking any action against him. An attendant of a patient said that they have to spend hundreds of rupees towards medicines as they have to buy them in emergency at the hospital itself.

Also, they could not take steps to remove the unauthorised shops and small eateries in the hospital premises. While there are 14 shops now, only one out of them was authorised. It was allotted a woman under MEPMA. Political parties and trade union leaders were involved in this as the shops belong to their relatives or followers.

These shops were denting the revenue of the hospital besides becoming a menace. If the hospital management wants to continue all the shops, they can do so by calling fresh tenders so that they will get sizeable revenue. The inaction in this regard was continuing for more than a year.

By V Pradeep Kumar