56% posts of pharmacist lying vacant in Karnal district

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Karnal, January 9

Karnal district is facing a severe shortage of pharmacists, which is leading to heavy workload on the existing ones. The data shows that nearly 56 per cent posts of pharmacists are lying vacant, as 43 out of the total of 77 sanctioned posts, are yet to be filled. This situation reflects the poor state of healthcare services in the district.

Fill vacant posts

We have apprised authorities of the vacancies to be filled so that the work is not affected. If all vacant posts are filled, the quality of health services will improve at government hospitals. Pardeep Arora, of Assn of Govt Pharmacy Officers, Haryana

Authorities informed

For storekeeping of medicines, regular staff nurses have been given the charge. For the appointment of regular pharmacists, we have sent requests to the higher authorities. Dr Krishan Kumar, Civil Surgeon of Karnal district

As per the data collected by The Tribune, 19 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and three Community Health Centres (CHCs) are operating without pharmacists across the district. In the absence of pharmacists, staff nurses, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or untrained staff members distribute medicines to the general public.

This practice is allegedly against the Pharmacy Act 1948, which states that no person other than a registered pharmacist will compound, prepare, mix or dispense any medicine on the prescription of a medical practitioner.

The shortage of pharmacists at government hospitals also affects various aspects of the healthcare system, such as dispensing, distribution, storekeeping, purchasing, maintaining cold chain of vaccines and other works. These works aim at providing affordable and quality medicines to the public, but they are compromised due to the lack of qualified personnel.

Pardeep Arora, district president of the Association of Government Pharmacy Officers, Haryana, said the shortage of pharmacists had overburdened the existing ones. “We have apprised the authorities that the vacant posts be filled so that the work is not affected and people get medicines in their nearby PHCs and CHCs,” said Arora.

He added that if all vacant posts were filled, the quality of health services would improve at the government hospitals.

Another pharmacist said the government had withdrawn the recruitment of nearly 240 posts of pharmacists now, which had disappointed the aspirants who were preparing for the exams. He urged the government to fill all vacant posts at the earliest.

When contacted, Dr Krishan Kumar, Civil Surgeon, said they had given additional charge of the nearby PHCs and CHCs to the already appointed pharmacists for two to three days.

“For store keeping of medicines, regular staff nurses have been given the charge. For the appointment of regular pharmacists, we have sent requests to the higher authorities,” said the Civil Surgeon.

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