BENGALURU: On shortage of life-saving medicines in the state government’s warehouse and patients forced to buy medicines from outside, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao admitted in the Council that some medicines are in short supply. Bidders do not come forward to supply some medicines and to address the concern, the government is moving ahead with a ‘drug recall’ policy, he added.
Replying to a question in the Council, he said, “As there is shortage of medicines, government hospitals ask patients to bring them from outside.” Suppliers inform the government about the quality of medicines purchased, but still, the department checks them in the lab and later supplies them, he added.
He said an inspection of the medicines supplied is under way. “All medicines should be available to the people free of cost. The health system in Tamil Nadu is very good. We will also try to solve the problems as soon as possible.
I am in touch with the Centre and wrote to them about substandard drugs. We are moving forward with the drug recall policy, and this requires the Centre’s cooperation. We have taken the deaths of pregnant women seriously and brought in a lot of plans in the budget to prevent this,” said Rao.