Gopalganj resident Rashida Jamal travelled at least 200km to reach Patna in hope of treatment and free medicines but was left disheartened.
The outpatient department of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) is again faced with a crisis of essential medicines, forcing the health hub to send away patients. The crisis is on for the past two months and shows no sign of resolution. On Wednesday, seven out of 80 essential drugs were unavailable at the hospital, adding to the problems of the already suffering patients.
One of them was Rashida Jamal, a 42-year-old from Gopalganj district, suffering from cerebral edema. In hope of relief, the failure to get the medicines prescribed at the drug counter just annoyed her.
"I took the 1.20pm bus on Tuesday so that I could reach Patna for treatment at PMCH. None of the medicines the doctor prescribed was available at the drug counter. The person manning the store asked me to go outside for purchasing the medicines. Do I look like a fool? If I had money, why would I have come to PMCH? I would have gone to some private hospital in the first place. Before coming here, I thought that I would be given free treatment and free medicines at the PMCH," said disappointed Rashida.
One of the medicines she did not get was the dexamethasone injection, one of the supportive drugs necessary for edema treatment. In the condition, the brain's water content rises, causing pressure to rise in the skull.
If Hajipur resident Anil Kumar did not find cetrazine, a common anti-allergic drug, at the outpatient department store, Mohammad Qurban, a Samastipur resident, did not find his medicines too. "I did not find cefadroxil at the store," Qurban, suffering from urinary tract infection, said.
Although this is not the first time such a crisis has struck the premiere hospital of the state, sources at the health hub said it was serious than earlier cases.
In September last year, such a crisis had hit the health hub because of discovery of the drug scam. The sources added the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation, the health department wing assigned the job to buy drugs for government health facilities, has not been procuring the drugs concerned since the scam.
Sources said principal secretary, health, Brajesh Mehrotra had directed the corporation around a month-and-a-half ago to ensure supply of drugs at PMCH as soon as possible but the directive has not been implemented yet.
Mehrotra could not be contacted till 8.30pm because his cellphone was switched off.
#The hospital superintendent, Lakhendra Prasad, said the drug crisis has been persisting for two months. " Dawai to hai hi nahi (There is no drug available). There has been no supply from the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation for around two months. The hospital is somehow managing medicines indoor (emergency wing of the hospital) patients with its own funds. According to a recent letter from the civil surgeon, the hospital can purchase medicines to the tune of Rs 1 lakh only in the case of emergencies," said Lakhendra.
The drugs corporation was no help on explaining the delay too. D.K. Shukla, the managing director, did not mention any reason for the delay in purchasing the drugs. He just said: "Tenders regarding drug purchase has been issued. By the end of this month, the government hospitals would be provided the sufficient stock of medicines."
