The circular of State Government asking doctors of State health facilities to prescribe generic medicines remained on paper as neither patients are prescribe low priced medicines nor getting free medicines from the hospital stores.
Even in Medical College Hospital the situation is not compatible. When a tribal patient of Halwa Kachora locality reached the hospital for treatment of cough/ cold and fever, doctors handed him a prescription of costly medicines available in open market only instead of providing him either free medicines or writing generic medicines. Kumharpara resident Rani too had to face great difficulty in purchasing branded companies medicines when she was given list of medicines by doctors as OPD store of the hospital had none of them.
Notably, with a view to provide relief to poor, the State administration is running the scheme to provide 200 types of medicine to patients through district hospital and community health centre stores besides instructing Government physicians to prescribe mainly generic drugs, which are very cheaper. Unfortunately, let aside costly drugs, even cough syrups are not available to patients from OPD stores. They have to procure even Saline NS or D-5, commonly injected to patients for energy, from the open market. In the name of fulfilling the formality, health department is providing 20 medicines from the hospital store.
In-charge of stores of Jagdalpur Medical College and Hospital Dr Avinash Meshram said that the hospital administration would not only solve the scarcity of medicines at the earliest but also issue circular asking doctors to prescribe generic medicines to patients.
Health department joint director R N Netam informed that as per the scheme of the State Government Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation is establishing drug store at village Tusel from where the health department will supply medicines to hospital and health centres as per their demand. In medical College there is separate provision for procuring medicines but if need be the health department would provide medicines there as well, Netam added.