Srinagar, July 6: Government-run hospitals across the Valley are facing acute shortage of Intra-Venous fluids especially Dextrose for past more than two months, due to which patients are facing immense hardships. SKIMS Medical College Hospital Bemina has been the worst hit.
Sources told Greater Kashmir that the deficit was triggered as suppliers suddenly discontinued providing the stock as they were demanding hike in the rates of the life-saving fluids. “The prices were revised by the outside companies this year so contractors refused to supply on previous rates,” they said.
While hospital officials claimed they were rationing the stocks but in emergency situations attendants of patients are being forced to buy it from open market.
An official in the Health and Medical Education Department, on condition of anonymity, said the supply was delayed due to ‘bureaucratic rigmarole’ in approving rate contracts.
“The purchase committees could not negotiate with the suppliers on previous rates due to their callous approach so suppliers stopped the supply,” said the official.
Though the hospital authorities have been directed to purchase the fluid locally but the shortage persists as Medical Superintendents are not authorized to go for bulk purchase due to ‘strict codal formalities’, sources said.
According to medicos a huge number of patients who undergo surgery require Intra-Venous fluids like Dextrose.
“Since it is summer, many dehydration patients are coming and a chunk of them are poor who cannot afford to buy the liquid from outside,” they said. “So most hospitals face such shortage.”
As per officials the State-run hospitals require around 20 lakh bottles of various IV fluids every six months. The demand is huge in government hospitals but if the demand-supply gap is significant in the city-based hospitals, it is massive in other parts of the state.
Sources said that SKIMS Medical College Hospital Bemina needs a minimum of 1,000 Dextrose bottles daily but the condition is such that it has not received even a single bottle from the suppliers in last one month.
Officials claimed they were managing from the reserved stock and borrowing from other hospitals ‘but the reserved stock has already been consumed and other hospitals have also stopped giving us the fluids as they are themselves face acute shortage,’ sources said.
The authorities said that though they are being asked to make purchases directly, there are limits on the procurements and big government hospitals where the demand is huge are forced to make adjustments.
About a month ago, there was acute shortage of normal saline at SMHS hospital when not even a single bottle of the fluid was available. After the junior doctors took up the issue, the hospital received some stocks several days ago.
A medico working in LD Hospital said that out of the five basic IV fluids used in hospitals, just a couple of them are available and that too in short supply. “Normal saline is short even here. If the patients have money, they buy it from outside. Others are instead put on other forms of fluids that are not commensurate. Representations to the Medical Superintendent have not helped,” he said.
When contacted, Principal Government Medical College, Srinagar, Dr Rafiq Pampori acknowledged the delay by suppliers. However he said the heads had been asked to purchase IV fluids from hospital funds. “We have given permission to the local superintendents to buy from hospital funds so we are not facing any severe problem,” he said.
Medical Superintendent SKIMS Medical College Hospital Bemina, Dr Nazir Ahmad said that they had arranged some stocks through an interim supplier as an emergency measure. “The order was placed in April but the supplier caused delay that created some shortage. But now the supply will be dispatched in a couple of days,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 6 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 6 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST