Pharmacist manages Haibowal Khurd dispensary

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 3

Located near the government school, Shrimati Shanti Bawa Government Dispensary, Haibowal Khurd, receives nearly 20 to 25 patients daily. The sad part of the story is that the medical officer (MO) of the dispensary is mostly on duty at the Civil Hospital, which leaves little time for him, to attend to patients.

As we reached the dispensary we found pharmacist’s room empty. So, we made our way to the next room, where the doctor sits. A woman was attending to patients in the room. After patients left we had a word with the woman, who sitting in the doctor’s chair.

Although she refused to disclose her name, we came to know that she was a pharmacist and the medical officer was on duty at the Civil Hospital most of the time.

“The doctor comes to dispensary for only one or two days as his duty is at the Civil Hospital. Sometimes it is evening duty and sometimes morning. He is also has duty at the post mortem. So, amidst all this it becomes difficult for him to come to the dispensary due to overlap of timings,” said the pharmacist.

“I also have duty at post mortem. We do not want patients to go back home without medication. So, I attend to them and give medicines,” she added.

“As patients of general ailments like fever, cough and cold come at the dispensary I am able to attend them with ease.

The purpose of setting up the health care facility is defeated if patients return without treatment. Keeping this in mind, we make sure that nobody goes without treatment,” she said.

“There is no shortage of medicines as their supply comes on time. The dispensary has one doctor, one pharmacist, three auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), four accredited social health workers (ASHAs), two class four employees out of which one is blind and the other one has three days duty at dispensary in Sunet,” she added.

“The staff is sufficient here, but today all have gone for measles-rubella vaccination at KVM School and International Public School,” the pharmacist said.

While we were talking to pharmacist two school girls appeared in the room. One of them told the pharmacist that she was having stomachache. The pharmacist gave them a bottle of medicine and asked her to take it in the morning and evening.

“Children from the school located next door come to us as there is no sick room there,”said the pharmacist.

No storeroom

There is no store room in the dispensary. One corner of the doctor’s room is used for storing material. Even half bed that is kept to examine patients in the room is occupied by boxes leaving little space for them to lie down.