Srinagar, June 11: The attendants of patients at GB Pant hospital were being ‘cheated’ by the former administrative head by unnecessarily admitting their wards in the hospital in order to facilitate flourishing of ‘drug mafia’ in and outside the hospital.
Sources in the hospital told Greater Kashmir that there were “strict directions” from the top for the junior doctors to admit patients with even minor ailments to swell the patient number and resultant prescription outflow. “The doctors, particularly, the Junior Consultants, Registrars, Post-Graduates and House Surgeon were strictly asked by the Head of the Department Pediatrics and the former Medical Superintendent, Dr Javaid Chowdhury to admit patients even with minor ailments,” the sources alleged.
According to sources around 120 patients were being admitted on daily basis against total 800 patients that visited the Out Patient Department (general and causality). “After media revealed mismanagement in the hospital and MS was attached, the diktat lost the ground only genuine patients – between 50 to 70 per day - are now getting admissions,” sources said. “Earlier, almost 40 percent admissions were taking place unnecessarily in the hospital to swell the patient umber there so that outflow of prescriptions would also increase,” an official at GB Pant hospital alleged.
He said the patients with minor ailments were given ‘unnecessary medicines’ and advised ‘needless tests’ without calling them for the follow-up treatment. “This was done to cheat the relatives of patients to motivate them towards private clinics and give opportunity to drug mafia to earn out of the gullible attendants,” he said.
Sources revealed the junior doctors had allegedly strict orders from the former Medical Superintendent to follow his instructions of admitting patients as many as they can “to help drug mafia flourish in the hospital.”
“All these patients were prescribed the drugs from a particular pharmaceutical company and those disagreeing to follow the diktats were punished, victimized and even failed in their examinations,” official sources said. “The names of these pharmaceutical companies don’t even exist in the list of brands, which produce high quality medicines for the treatment of diseases,” sources revealed.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST