BALASORE: Cancer patients at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Balasore are left in the lurch due to acute shortage of life-saving medicines for the past seven months.
The state government has setup daycare cancer centres in every DHH which provide chemotherapy and essential medicines free of cost to the cancer patients. The Balasore DHH caters to over 150 patients for chemotherapy monthly with 15-20 new patients registering each month.
However, relatives of the patients said that free medicines are not available at the facility since April. “We are often forced to procure the drugs from Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack or from outside the state, which is more expensive,” they added. As the complaints poured in, the hospital authorities procured medicines using their own funds but the supplies remain irregular.
The medicine shortage has not only affected Balasore residents but also patients from Mayurbhanj, West Bengal and Jharkhand who depend on the DHH. Many return disappointed after failing to obtain the required medicines.
Chief district medical officer Dr Prabhat Behera said, the DHH had a budget only for purchasing low-cost medicines. The expensive ones are procured through the State Medical Corporation. “We have already informed the authorities about the shortage of the life-saving medicines,” he said.
Patients and their families have urged the State Government, district administration and Health department to intervene in the matter and help resolve the crisis.