NEW DELHI: Flagging shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals and mohalla clinics, Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has asked the Chief Secretary (CS) to visit the facilities to see how the patients and their attendants are grappling with the problem.
In a letter to the CS, Bharadwaj sought an explanation as to why they (CS and health secretary) misled the Assembly by providing incorrect report.
To get a first hand and true experience with respect to shortage and non-availability of essential medicines and consumables in hospitals, the minister directed that instead of taking shield of different rule positions, the CS should personally visit one Delhi government hospital and one mohalla clinic during OPD hours (8 am to 2 pm) and interact with patients and their attendants in the waiting area near pharmacy counters and inquire from them whether all the medicines prescribed by the treating doctors of the hospital has been provided by the pharmacist or not. The CS should share the daily roaster for next two weeks by 5 pm on April 15 and send the daily report about the situation, the letter read.
“The ground reports unequivocally indicate a distressing scarcity of free medicines; however, it is asserted by the CS and Secretary (Health) that every patient is indeed receiving all essential medications or suitable alternatives. The CS and Secretary (Health) blatantly misled both the government and the Assembly regarding the availability of medicines,” the minister said adding that during the Assembly discussion, numerous MLAs vehemently refuted the false claims made by the CS.
According to the minister, “The CS was asked to ensure supply of medicines, and he is trying to take shelter of rules of business of the Assembly. He could have spent those efforts in working for the people of Delhi. Instead of looking for new frivolous excuses every time, CS should do positive work as directed by the government.”
It has further added that as an afterthought, the CS made a frivolous excuse that all routine files of Departments are not routed through CS so he cannot supervise the availability of Medicines & consumables. The Health minister has mandated that specific directions to the CS regarding availability of medicines need to be complied without any excuses.
Bharadwaj has further said that historically, routine files of departments were never routed through the CS during the tenure of earlier Chief Secretaries from the tenure of SK Srivastava to Vijay Dev.