Jan Aushadhi store at Doon Medical College faces shortage of drugs

editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29

The depleting medicine stock at the Jan Aushadhi store in Government Doon Medical College has put a question mark on its future and the sale of cheap generic medicines

Things have come to such a pass that the store has about 25 per cent of medicines comprising mostly syrups and tonics. The neglect of the store is all the more disturbing when the Central government plans to establish these across the country. There was a time when the store was stocked with more than 200 medicines and consumables. But today, patients with neurological disorders return empty-handed, as there are no medicines available at the store.

The neglect of the store is being attributed to the delay in procurement of medicines, which has halted since the beginning of this year. “There is no clarity on how medicines will be procured for the store ie., whether through e-tendering or local tendering,” said an official at the hospital.

Earlier, when the hospital management was handed over to the Department of Medical Education, local tendering was undertaken through the hospital management committee headed by the Dehradun District Magistrate but now that arrangement has ended.

As things exist today, the principal of the medical college, Pradip Bharti Gupta, to take up the issue.

The store has seen better days in 2012- 2013 when it had reported sales of Rs 4 lakh a month because the then District Magistrate Puroshtam had issued instructions to all doctors at the hospital to compulsorily prescribe medicines available at the store.