CAG exposes drug stockouts and delays in Kerala government hospitals

The report also noted significant delays in drug supply, with over 81% of drug orders delayed.
Image used for representational purposes only
Image used for representational purposes only
Updated on
2 min read

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has raised serious questions regarding the procurement and quality control of drugs supplied through government pharmacies. The findings, based on an in-depth analysis of data from 2016-17 to 2021-22, reveal significant issues with drug purchases and inadequate quality checks. This report comes at a time when Kozhikode Medical College is grappling with a severe shortage of medicines.

The CAG report highlighted 62,826 instances of drug stockouts during this period. It revealed that patients in some hospitals had to wait more than four years for essential medications, with 4,126 instances of waiting over four years, and 21,943 cases where the wait ranged from 100 days to a year. Commonly missing medications included those for treating high blood pressure, severe allergic reactions, cardiac arrest, bacterial infections, and diabetes.

The office of the Accountant General also evaluated the stock levels at seven district-level hospitals across the state. The findings showed that against a requirement of 603 essential drugs and consumables, the availability ranged from just 44% to 58%. Additionally, of the 4,732 drug items requested, only 1,036 (21.89%) were fully supplied. Some drugs were supplied in quantities of less than 50%, and 307 items were not supplied at all.

The report also noted significant delays in drug supply, with over 81% of drug orders delayed. Despite this, the suppliers were rarely penalised, even though there were provisions for penalties.

The report dismissed the government’s explanation that delays were caused by Covid and floods, stating that delays had been a consistent issue throughout the audit period.

Further analysis revealed that in 60 instances across 26 hospitals, drugs issued to wards had already passed their expiry dates. The government denied that expired medicines were in circulation, but the report rejected this claim, presenting data that showed expired or discontinued drugs were being distributed.

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