Acute shortage of pharmacists hits government hospitals in Haryana

Government-run hospitals across the state are grappling with a severe shortage of pharmacy officers, with nearly 35% of sanctioned posts lying vacant for the past several years, adversely affecting the dispensing and management of medicines.

Data accessed by ‘The Tribune’ shows that out of 1,085 sanctioned pharmacy officer posts in the state, as many as 385 are vacant.

The situation is particularly alarming in several districts. Ambala tops the list with 50 vacancies out of 63 sanctioned posts, followed by Karnal with 46 vacancies out of 76. Sirsa is short of 44 out of 60 posts, Yamunanagar 36 out of 53, Narnaul 35 out of 53 and Jind 33 out of 66.

Other districts also report large shortfalls: Fatehabad has 29 vacancies out of 51 posts, Panipat 28 out of 47, Palwal 27 out of 42, Hisar 27 out of 72, Bhiwani 26 out of 60 and Rewari 24 out of 46. Gurugram and Jhajjar are each short of 22 posts, Sonepat has 20 vacancies, Kaithal 18, Charkhi Dadri 17, Nuh 16 and Kurukshetra 14. Faridabad and Rohtak each have 12 vacancies, while Panchkula has 12 out of 54 posts vacant.

In the absence of pharmacy officers, medicines are being dispensed by nursing staff, emergency medical technicians and multipurpose health workers. Officials concede that this arrangement violates existing norms, as only registered pharmacy officers are legally authorised to dispense medicines.

A senior pharmacist said recruitment had not taken place for the past 5-6 years, while many officers had retired during this period. “The number of government hospitals has increased, but recruitment has not kept pace. This clearly shows the government’s lack of seriousness,” he said, adding that under the Pharmacy Act, dispensing medicines by non-pharmacists is illegal.

The issue was raised during the recently concluded Haryana Assembly session, where Health Minister Arti Singh Rao assured the House that vacant posts would be filled. Sources said while recruitment against 25% promotional posts is under process, direct recruitment remains stalled due to a pending amendment to service rules.

Director General Health Services Dr Manish Bansal said health workers had been allowed to dispense medicines for the time being. “For regular appointments of pharmacy officers, we are awaiting amendments in the service rules,” he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Assandh MLA Shamsher Singh Gogi accused the state government of failing to ensure adequate healthcare facilities. “When hospitals lack pharmacists, patients’ health is compromised. This government has completely failed to provide basic health infrastructure,” he said. Emphasising the role of pharmacists, Gogi added, “Pharmacists are the backbone of any hospital as not only this officer dispenses medicines, but also keeps storage and makes local purchases of medicines on a regular basis. The government should recruit pharmacy officers without any delay.”