The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to authorize ward officers to procure medicines for civic-run hospitals. This step has been taken to resolve the issue of medicine shortage, which has resulted in repeated complaints from patients regarding the unavailability of basic medicines at hospitals. The plan is currently in the brainstorming stage and meetings will be held with the central purchase department (CPD) and hospital authorities to discuss it. Free Press Journal published a detailed report regarding the same.
Procurement of Medicines in Civic-Run Hospitals
Currently, hospitals have the authority to procure medicines up to Rs10 lakh in an emergency. However, this has not been sufficient in resolving the problem of medicine shortage, leading the BMC to consider granting additional power to ward officers for the procurement of scheduled drugs required in their respective wards. The power to procure medicines locally using a certain amount allotted to them lies with the hospital deans, but that has also not been sufficient at times.
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Alternate Options for Resolving Drug Shortages
Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr. Sanjeev Kumar has stated that the BMC is exploring alternate options for resolving drug shortages at hospitals. Patients have been complaining every year about the lack of available medication in hospitals, forcing them to purchase medicines from private chemists at higher rates. Dr. Kumar further stated that meetings will be held with all the ward officers, CPD, and hospital deans to execute a plan to resolve the problem forever.
Meeting to Procure Medicines and Determine Rates
A senior official has reported that a meeting will be organized to procure medicines and determine rates. There have been complaints of medicine shortages, and stopgap measures have been taken, but that cannot be done every time. Another step is necessary to ease medicine procurement, which gets stuck in tendering, and the whole process gets delayed. Procuring drugs will be easier at the ward level, but hospitals need to be informed about the shortage 2-3 months before and not at the eleventh hour.
Responsibility to Procure Medicines for State-Run Hospitals
It has been recently reported that the Directorate of Medical Education & Research has taken over the responsibility to procure medicines for state-run hospitals that have a chronic history of drug shortages. The BMC's decision to authorize ward officers to procure medicines is a significant step towards ensuring that patients receive the required treatment without having to face any unnecessary hardships or additional expenses.
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The BMC's plan to authorize ward officers to procure medicines for civic-run hospitals is a positive step towards resolving the issue of medicine shortages. It is hoped that the meetings with hospital authorities, CPD, and ward officers will lead to the execution of a successful plan that resolves the problem of medicine shortages forever.
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