VIJAYAWADA: A special committee from the Andhra Pradesh Medical and Health Department conducted a study visit to Bhubaneswar on Monday to examine the drug procurement and distribution system in government hospitals. The visit was organised under the directions of Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav.
The delegation, led by Dr Radhika Reddy, Additional Director of Medical Education, held discussions with Dr Pomatadu, Managing Director of the Odisha State Medical Services Corporation Ltd (OSMCL), and senior officials.
The corporation explained that medicines worth nearly `750 crore are procured annually, with 30% of purchases made locally for teaching hospitals and about 10% for other hospitals. Officials noted that payments to suppliers are cleared within one to two months, ensuring smoother supply operations.
The AP committee inspected Bhubaneswar’s Capital Hospital and a government drug warehouse to understand storage and distribution practices. Members of the delegation included senior health official Ganapathi Rao, GGH Guntur Superintendent Dr Durga Prasad, APSMIDC Drug Wing in-charge Sadhu Srinivas Rao, pharmacy officers Y Padma Meenakshi and Srinivas, and APSMIDC Senior Project Manager Aswini.
The study tour is part of AP’s efforts to strengthen its own medical supply chain by learning from Odisha’s model. Officials said the visit would help identify best practices in procurement, timely payments, and warehouse management, which could be adapted to improve efficiency and transparency in AP’s public health system. This initiative reflects the government’s focus on ensuring uninterrupted medicine supply to hospitals and enhancing accountability in the distribution process.