Medicines out of stock at TB sanatorium, patients peeved

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 3

The District TB Sanatorium is facing a shortage of medicines despite the fact that the authorities concerned had placed an order for the same with the warehouse of the Health Department around two months ago.

As a result of the shortage of medicines, which otherwise are given free of cost to patients, they have to buy these from private chemists, suffering unwanted financial burden. Patients suffering from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and other breathing problems fall in this category.

An insider at the sanatorium said the government had sanctioned a total of around 70 different kinds of medicines for free distribution to the patients but presently only 20 medicines were available.

The health institutions are required to place an online order for delivery of the medicines after which the nearest warehouse is required to make the delivery.

Hospital in-charge Dr Naveen Pandhi said they had received a few medicines but the staff were busy getting these recorded in the hospital record books. He said they were also in touch with the authorities regarding the medicines which had not been delivered so far.