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| Emergency vaccine not supplied even to district hospitals | | J&K 'Free Drug Policy' merely a joke | | Bijay Charak
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 23: Despite launching 'Free Drug Policy' in state, the Health and Medical Education department has not supplied emergency vaccines even to the district hospitals since the policy framed.
Sources in Health Department told Early Times that government aims to benefit poor people of state by providing some free drugs to patients in government run hospitals but the reports from hospitals tell a different story.
"The government as per order no.142-HME of 2016, Dated 14-03-2016 has launched 'Free Drug Policy' in state. Through this policy government had selected set of free essential medicines and are planned to be supplied under such policy for use in In-Patient and Out-Patient facilities of the various Public Health Institutions up to District Hospitals through Drug distribution centers", sources said.
Due to increasing cases of dogs bites across the state, government needs to establish a separate Anti-rabies clinic in each district hospital but astoundingly the hospitals were already established clinic lack Anti-Rabies injections which prevent vulnerable patients from the rabies virus.
Sources further said that in absence of Anti Rabies Vaccine in government run hospitals, doctors available here have advised patients to buy them from private players.
"Since the policy was launched, we have not seen any such supply here. We requested the concerned authorities a number of times to stock the injections but till now it has not been made available here," wishing anonymity, a Medical Superintendent said.
They further said that many patients could not afford it because single vaccine costs over Rs.450 in the market. Such vaccine is a prime medicine for patients with single or multiple bites. As per this policy all free drugs will be purchased by state government through central procurement mechanism for which government has set up a corporation (JKMSCL). Through this policy it is the responsibility of corporation for distribution of supplies to various health institutions across state.
JK MSCL, Managing Director was not available for comments despite repeated calls. |
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