BBMP medical centres suffer from drug deficiency

But chief health officer says all is well with hospitals

There are no drugs available either at the ‘Central Stores’, the BBMP drug house located at the Dasappa Maternity Hospital for the last three years, which otherwise supplied drugs to all the hospitals run by the Palike.

The ‘Central Stores’ was raided by the Lokayukta in 2006 when Justice M N Venkatachaliah was in charge for stocking drugs beyond their expiry dates, and for unaccounted drugs maintained in the register.  Since then, the medical officers from the health centres and maternity homes have been forced to buy drugs from outside to treat patients visiting them.

The BBMP buys drugs from the Karnataka Drugs and Logistics Warehouse Stores (KDLWS) located on Madagi Road.  “The KDLWS does not supply drugs as per our needs. There is always delay in issuing the drugs,” said a medical officer.   
At one of the BBMP maternity homes/health centres visited by Deccan Herald, nearly 100 deliveries take place in a month, while the maximum amount allotted to buy drugs for this place is Rs 5,000. 

“Despite a revenue of Rs 30,000 a month, I cannot withdraw more than Rs 5,000 every month for drug purchase.  Besides shortage of iron and calcium tablets, sometimes there is no stock of IV fluids, cotton rolls or bandages in the hospital,” said the medical officer. Cadfol is the prescribed iron tablets for these pregnant women but at this maternity hospital, iron and calcium tablets are bought in bulk and packets are made and given to pregnant women. “We need to buy drugs from the revenue we generate from user charges that we collect from patients.  Apart from anti-rabies vaccine fee, not much is collected here,” said a medical officer.

Free of cost
“The BBMP Health Department is planning to make anti-rabies vaccine free of cost which is the only liable source of revenue at my health centre, if these vaccines are given free then I will not have any funds generated to buy any other drugs,” he added.
Dr LT Gayatri, Chief Health Officer, BBMP Health Department, however claimed that everything was fine at the BBMP hospitals. “We give enough money to maternity homes and health centres to buy medicines.  Even our ‘Central Stores’ has enough stock of medicines,” she said.
DH News Service