Drug shortage at Faridabad hospital adds to patients’ pain

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, March 5

The Health Department informed a Right to Information (RTI) activist that the Badshah Khan Civil Hospital here, one of the largest in the state, had shortage of 154 types of medicines.

Scarcity of essential drugs

Hospital is coping with the shortage of many prominent and essential types of drugs. Patients have to procure these from medical stores outside the hospital at much higher prices. Tarun Chopra, RTI activist

Availability varies from time to time

The availability of medicines varies from time to time. The hospital management has brought the issue of staff shortage to the notice of the higher authorities concerned. A senior official, Health Department

The Health Department provided information regarding medicines that were in shortage between January 2021 and January 31, 2023. RTI activist Tarun Chopra had sought information on various points, including the medicines that were out of stock and funds spent on acquiring medicines.

Chopra said, “The hospital is coping with the shortage of many prominent and essential types of drugs. Patients have to procure these from medical stores outside the hospital at much higher prices.”

Chopra said, “The hospital spent Rs 31.03 lakh to procure medicines and consumable items from outside hospital premises in 2021 while in 2022 and January 2023 an amount of Rs 55.16 lakh was spent for the purpose.” Usually, the hospital gets its medicine supply from the government warehouse located in Gurugram.

The reply read that four types of anti-convulsants (antiplietics), seven types of cardiovascular medicines, 17 type of dermatological medicines, three types of disinfectants (antiseptic), 11 types of gastrointestinal drugs, six types of medicines for obstetric and gynaecology, 26 types of psycotherapateics, 21 types of medicines for psychiatry, 12 opthalmological, seven urological and two type of immunological (anti-rabies ) medicines were not available in this period.

Apart from inadequate medicine supply, the 200-bed hospital has also been facing a shortage of doctors. The emergency OPD has two Medical Officers on general duty against the requirement of at least 12 doctors, an official in the hospital said.

“There is no medicine specialist, echocardiologist, radiologist, gastroenterologist and neurosurgeon. Even essential equipment such as wheelchairs, stretchers and beds are inadequate. A large number of posts of nurses, pharmacists, operation theatre attendants, ECG technicians are lying vacant. Nearly 2,400 patients arrive daily at the OPD at the hospital. They have to face a lot inconvenience due to these issues,” he added.

“The availability of medicines varies from time to time. The hospital management has brought the issue of staff shortage to the notice of the higher authorities concerned,” a senior official of the Health Department said.

Few doctors

• Apart from inadequate medicine supply, the 200-bed hospital has been facing a shortage of doctors
• The emergency OPD has two Medical Officers on general duty against the requirement of 12

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