No stocks of 190 essential medicines in Karnataka: Health Minister Gundu Rao
BENGALURU: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said that the state has no stocks of 190 of the 410 essential medicines for supply to government hospitals. “We need to purchase 732 medicines and supply them to hospitals. Of them, 410 are essential medicines, and the rest are optional. We have no stocks of 190 essential medicines. That is the reality and we are not hiding anything,” the minister said in the Legislative Council.
Replying to MLC HS Gopinath’s question on the hardships caused to poor patients due to non-availability of essential medicines in government hospitals, the minister admitted that there are many shortcomings in the department. Steps are being taken to streamline the whole system.
He said efforts are on to supply all medicines to hospitals by the first week of April. Tenders have been invited for the purpose.
Stating that his department cannot escape from its responsibility of providing medicines to poor patients, he said directions have been issued to hospitals to purchase medicines from funds available with them.”They are purchasing medicines locally. But the process lacks transparency,” he said.
‘Will put in place procurement system for meds’
Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd (KSMSCL), which supplies medicines to hospitals, should be strengthened. “Providing medicines to poor patients is our primary responsibility and we have failed in our primary responsibility,” the minister said.
Stating that the condition of the corporation is pathetic, the minister said no managing director has worked there for more than three months. “We will fix it. Efforts are on to put in place a proper procurement system and tenders will be called once in two years,” he added.
Gundu Rao said KPMG has been asked to suggest measures to improve the functioning of the corporation and it has given a preliminary report.
The department is also working with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to have a maintenance management system. “You may be surprised to know that we do have information on all equipment and if they are in working condition. C-DAC will come up with a new system,” he said.
The aim is to ensure that there should not be pharmacies in taluk or district hospitals, he said.”People coming to hospitals should get all medicines free of cost. We should not even have PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras in our hospitals,” he said, adding that the increasing number of pharmacies near the hospitals shows the government’s failure.