THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The health department has decided to set up a district-level monitoring system to address the drug shortage in government hospitals. Instructions have been issued to inspect the stock and distribution of medicines across hospitals and KMSCL warehouses, and submit weekly reports.
Under directives issued by Health Minister K Muraleedharan to the health department principal secretary, a district-level medicine availability monitoring team will be formed in every district. The team will be led by the additional or deputy district medical officer (health). It will include the hospital superintendent, assistant drugs controller or drugs inspector, pharmacy store superintendent, and the KMSCL warehouse manager.
The primary benchmark for the new mechanism is verifying whether patients actually receive prescribed medicines, than just relying on official stock registers, said a statement by the minister. Committee members will inspect hospital stores and pharmacy counters than depending solely on records. They will evaluate physical stock, daily consumption rates, patient volume, and projected demand for upcoming days and weeks, while also tracking any supply delays from KMSCL warehouses.
To manage localised shortfalls efficiently, the monitoring teams are authorised to redistribute surplus stocks from one health facility to another facing urgent requirements. The initiative aims to prevent authorities from shifting responsibility during drug shortages, allowing monitoring teams to pinpoint exact supply chain bottlenecks and resolve them on the spot. Weekly inspection reports covering healthcare facilities up to district general hospitals will be submitted to the director of health services. Similar reports for medical colleges will go directly to the director of medical education.
