Sambalpur: Medicine Shortage Crisis at VIMSAR’s Niramaya, Patients Forced to Buy from Private Stores

Sambalpur: Despite repeated complaints, the majority of doctor-prescribed medications are not available at Niramaya. It is claimed that pharmaceuticals are not ordered on time, and tenders are only issued after the existing stock has been totally exhausted. The officer in charge is also not properly monitoring the availability of medicines in the stores. Medicines are only available on demand after they have run out of stock. As a result, patients do not have access to many essential medications when they need them.

When questioned, Dr. Ashok Panigrahi, the drugstore’s Medical Officer, indicated that the hospital has 99 percent of the medicines. However, if every medication is available, why are three of the six prescription medicines unavailable at the Niramaya? Also, why isn’t the list of available medicines put on the wall in front of Niramaya, as it was previously? Such events raise concerns about systemic irregularities in the purchase of medication at VIMSAR. The authorities are being urged to pay attention to this issue.

According to a complaint, a doctor prescribed six medicines to a patient at VIMSAR, three of which were not available at Niramaya. However, these unavailable drugs are available at private medicine stores within the hospital premises. As a result, families of patients must purchase medicines from private stores rather than receiving them free from the government. Previously, a list of all available medicines was displayed in front of the clinic, with medicines that were running out of stock clearly noted. In this manner, individuals knew which medicines were available and which were unavailable. However, this practice has been halted for a long time, leaving patients in the dark about medication availability.

The medical authorities have been asked to handle this matter urgently in the public interest.