Health Secy’s visit adds to patients’ pain

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 27

“Babushahi” took a toll on patients and their relatives as the security guards and the staff deployed to welcome CK Mishra, Union Health Secretary, denied them entry to Amrit Pharmacy.

Mishra was here to inaugurate a new facility for providing orthopaedic implants to patients at significantly reduced rates at Amrit Pharmacy in Nehru Hospital, PGI.

The facility was scheduled to be inaugurated at 12.30 pm. However, Mishra got late as he was busy at a meeting with the PGI staff.

In the meantime, the security guards deployed at the pharmacy did not allow patients and their relatives to enter the venue. Many patients were told to visit the store of generic medicine located adjacent to Amrit Pharmacy.

Several patients and their relatives, who wanted to return medicines, were left in the lurch. Devi Chand, who was with his mother Sona Devi, who is suffering from tonsillitis cancer, said he visited the hospital to purchase medicines, but was told to wait.

“Since morning, they have been telling us that they are busy with the preparations for welcoming a high-ranked official. As employees of Amrit Pharmacy were not offering medicines, it led to a huge rush at the shop where generic medicine are sold. After jostling for nearly 10 minutes, I managed to hand over the slip. But the employees at the generic medicine counter said they did not have the medicines. Now, I have to wait till the time the bureaucrat inaugurates the programme and leaves the venue,” said Devi Chand.

Hemraj (65), who was visiting the pharmacy from Himachal, said the security guards were not allowing him to enter. “I have been told to wait as some senior official is arriving at the pharmacy,” said Hemraj. Similarly, Neeta Kumari was leaning on a corner and anxiously waiting for the function to get over. “I was told that the official would arrive at 12.30 pm and after 10 minutes I could return the medicine. However, the official got late,” said Neeta. 

Interacting with the media, CK Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said orthopaedic implants would be sold at on a no-profit-no-loss basis through Amrit Pharmacy.

He handed over the implants to two patients today at Amrit Pharmacy in the presence of the PGI Director, Dr Jagat Ram,  Deputy Director Amitabh Avasthi, and Dr AK Gupta, Medical Superintendent. Prior to the inauguration, he chaired a finance committee meeting with the PGI authorities and said the Centre would help establish a new trauma centre and OPD at Sarangpur.