The mandatory doctor’s approval stamp on prescription at Delhi Government hospitals to avail free essential drugs available at hospital counters has left patients in the lurch. The new move has created a lot of chaos and confusion among patients who were thrown from pillar to post in search of concerned doctors to get the prescription stamped. According to the patients, doctors were not aware of the stamp which they have to put on the prescription of the patients.
On Tuesday, The Pioneer did a reality check and it found that patients many of the patients turned back disappointed without getting prescribed medicines as they failed to get doctors’ prescriptions stamped. Few of them complained about the medicine counters being closed.
In the overcrowded pharmacy of lok Nayak Hospital, Rabiya, 20, who stood in the queue for more than three hours to get the medicine, failed to get a single medicine in her prescription. “Nothing has changed despite the Government has launched free essential drugs scheme. My day got wasted as after standing in the queue for more than three hours, the staff at the medicine counter did not give me a single medicine. Doctors are not aware that they have to put the stamp on the prescription,” said Rabiya.
Imrana Begam, 33, who came early morning to get the medicine, also faced the same problem. She said, “I am running from pillar to post in search of the doctor to get my prescription stamped. Now I have to revisit the hospital tomorrow.”
At Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, doctors did not have the stamps. On the other hand, at lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, some medicine counters were closed and patients were left with disappointment.
Dr Amita Saxena, Medical Superintendent of lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital said that there is a shortage of manpower in the hospital at present. “Also, there has been delay in some hospitals to get the stamps. Within a day or two, these issues will be resolved,” said Dr Saxena.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Satyendra Jain issued a helpline number - 8745051111 -for registering complaints against shortage of medicines at Government hospitals. Jain also announced a mobile app which will soon be launched where people will be able to report the non-availability of medicines.