Shortage of tramadol at govt hospitals

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Bathinda, December 24

The demand for tramadol medicine is on the rise in almost all the government hospitals having the facility for treating drug addicts by psychiatrists. But the Bathinda Civil Hospital that used to get supplies from the Bathinda drug ware house is running short of it.

The medicines are supplied from this main centre in Bathinda — the drug ware house — to the Civil Hospital and all those centres where treatment of drug addicts is available in government hospitals in eight districts, including Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar and Fazilka.

The drug ware house supplied about 15 lakh tablets in the last few months.

Bathinda, Mansa and Fazilka districts have a daily demand of around 5,000 tramadol tablets while Badal village used to collect around 7,000 tablets daily till last month from the drug ware house.

Having a capacity of 50 beds, the Badal village hospital has been upgraded to 100 bedded hospital, whereas the de-addiction centres in Bathinda, Khyala and Talwandi Sabo have 25 beds each.

Nearly 250 to 300 patients are being treated every day at these hospitals.

Tramadol – a medicinal drug- is meant to treat drug addicts to renounce drugs, however, it became a substitute for drugs and the number of patients who are approaching psychiatrists to get treatment of addiction of tramadol is increasing. Patients, however, reportedly attempt to get a higher dosage of the medicine by visiting doctors in other districts also.

“Earlier, tramadol was available but for the last one week, I have been visiting the hospital but there is no medicine. However, I am thankful to the doctors who gave me tablets for relief from pain,” said a drug addict.

Dr Nidhi Gupta, a psychiatrist at the Bathinda Civil Hospital, said, “Yes there is a shortage of tramadol for the last few days but it would soon be available for the patients. There are other substitutes available for the patients as of now.”