Government had launched a scheme to distribute free generic medicine in all Government hospitals in the state from August 15, but this medicine could not reach in many hospitals. Wherever it reached were not in sufficient variety.
In such a situation, doctors prescribe costly branded medicines and as a result, the poor patients could not purchase medicines from the market and continuously suffering from various diseases. In many hospitals, they were not getting life saving drugs or even ordinary medicines.
Taking these complaints of the patients seriously, the Government had prepared the scheme to make free generic medicines available in Government hospitals from August 15. The health department had said that generic medicines have been supplied in all government hospitals.
In the district hospital of the state capital, hundreds of patients reach every day for treatment, but generic medicines have not yet been supplied there. Due to lack of some necessary medicines, doctors prescribe branded medicines.
Civil surgeon Dr BK Das said that there were reports that generic medicines were being supplied from August 15, but that did not reach here so far. He claimed that all generic medicines were available in the hospital. Doctors were also instructed not to prescribe costly branded medicines to the patients, but some doctors
prescribe, he added.
Generic medicine did not reach Baloda Bazar district hospital, where one counter with old medicines has been opened, but the patients are not being prescribed branded medicines there. However, civil surgeon Dr Kiran Shankar Bajpai claimed that all general variety medicines for cold, cough and fever were available in the hospital. At present, generic medicine supply did not reach here. In such a
situation, it might be possible that branded medicines prescribed to patients, though prescribing branded medicines had been prohibited, he added.
In Mahasamund district, about 200 varieties of generic medicines were sent from headquarters on August 16 and notice board has been placed there in this regard. In small hospitals also, it was written on the walls that patients should take free
generic medicines from the hospital. According to CMO Dr SK Ratre, though a list of 720 varieties of generic medicines had been prepared, but less variety of medicines were supplied.
The situation is the same in other districts also. According to deputy director and store in-charge of health department Dr SK Pambhoi, from August 15, generic medicines had been sent to all Government hospitals in the State. It was wrong to say the medicines were not available in any hospital. Prescribing branded medicines in hospitals has also been banned, he added.
He said that storerooms were constructed at district level to generic medicines. At present first slot of generic medicines reached here, but it would be difficult to say how many varieties received and the cost of it, as these medicines would reach here in 3-4 lots and it would be sent directly to district hospitals, he added.