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Health Minister Veena George has denied that there is a shortage of drugs in the State’s public sector hospitals.
To a submission by Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan in the Assembly on Wednesday, Ms. George said the ‘campaign” that there was drug shortage was baseless.
Ms. George said that special arrangements had been made, including the constitution of a separate team at the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSC), to monitor the availability and ensure the distribution of drugs to hospitals. Special nodal officers had been deputed at the Directorate of Health Services and the Directorate of Medical Education for monitoring drug shortage and to make necessary interventions. In districts, deputy district medical officers and in medical college hospitals, resident medical officers had been entrusted with the task of monitoring drug availability.
Medicines, wherever it was remaining unused, were moved to places where the drug usage was higher. In hospitals where the drug usage went above the indented quantum, more drugs were purchased at tender prices through additional indents.
In the normal course, the last schedule of drugs tendered in a year was meant for utilisation during the period after that financial year, till August. The drug procurement processes for 2022-23 was initiated in October 2021. Because of COVID-19, in 2020-21 and 2021-22, the tender for drug purchase was called in the month of December. The drug purchase orders for the current financial year had already been given and the drugs for the first schedule (quarter) had already been made available.
Incidentally, there was a significant increase in the requirement of anti-rabies vaccine in all districts this year and additional indents had been obtained from all districts for making the required quantity of vaccine available.
Procurement calendar
Ms. George said that in order to make the drug procurement and distribution process more efficient, the government decided to prepare an annual calendar for all procurement processes. The calendar would be made effective soon. The tender processes for drug procurement for the next financial year 2023-24 would begin in August.
Hospitals had been asked not to wait till they completely exhaust their drug stock before requesting the drugs for the next schedule. Instead, as soon as the drug stocks reach a certain level, the KMSC should be alerted, she said.
Reacting to the Opposition Leader’s allegation that the government owed over ₹200 crore to pharma firms, Ms. George claimed that in the last six months ₹226 crore had been paid to drug companies. Also, hospitals have been given ₹62 crore under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati.
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