Lack of coordination between Health department and Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited is making patients suffer in the government run hospitals in the winter capital.
A source told Greater Kashmir that around 20% of the required items, including life saving drugs, medicines, kits for vital investigations and others are not being provided to the premier hospitals despite repeated requisitions sent to the corporation from time to time.
“Of 100 important tests which could be conducted in the Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu, mere 20 are conducted due to non-availability of kits, medicines and allied items required for the purpose,” the source added.
He said the department has been repeatedly sending requisitions to the corporation through GMC principal for the past 3 years but required items have not been provided.
Similarly, the source informed that different departments of GMC, super specialty hospital, and SMGS hospital in Jammu have also not been provided with the required medicines by the corporation despite sending of requisitions repeatedly.
Senior faculty and other staff members of these hospitals said that there is acute shortage of life saving drugs, critical medicines, syringes, dialyzers for conducting dialysis, kits for conducting important tests in the blood bank like HIV, Hepatitis B & C, slides, cotton gauges, IV cathters, masks, the important normal saline fluids, gloves, spirit, Betadine, urine bags, and many other items of daily and emergency use.
Most of these items are required during and after surgery. Some are required before an operation.
A source said that all the departments send their requisitions to the principal GMC who then forwards them to the corporation which provides medicines and other items subject to availability of funds.
“This is where the problem begins,” some of the senior faculty members said, adding, “Once the requisitions are received, the concerned departments should be informed about the availability of funds so that they can project only the important and most urgently required items”.
In this regard, MD, JKMSCL, Dr Inderjeet when contacted said that the corporation can provide items only as per the “committed funds”.
“When we receive requisitions of all the departments collectively, the purchasing cost goes much beyond the committed funds,” he said adding, “How can we provide items worth Rs 50 cr when we have just Rs 15 cr as committed funds”.
A senior officer said, “This concern has been conveyed to the higher ups on number of occasions but we have got no response till date.”