Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 24: The Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu and SMGS Hospital, Jammu are facing acute shortage of life saving IV fluids, drip sets, cotton and other essential drugs, as the J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) has failed to ensure proper supply of these essential drugs and surgical items to them.
According to the sources in GMCH Jammu, there is hue and cry in GMCH Jammu and SMGS Hospitals due to shortage of essential fluids and drip sets for last about one week. Though authorities of these hospitals are somehow arranging these essential items from Directorate of Health Services or purchasing from open market but only the patients having links with the doctors and paramedical staff are getting the same while poor patients are bound to purchase these from the market.
Sources said that there is shortage of essential fluids like RL, NS and dextrose in GMCH and SMGS Hospital, besides drip sets and cotton. What to say of providing these fluids to patients in wards, even patients in emergency are not getting drip sets and these essential fluids, and on the advice of the doctors they are purchasing the same from market.
“J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) has totally failed to provide smooth supply of these life saving fluids and drip sets”, they added.
“The State Government has announced provision of free drugs in the hospital but I am shocked that even in Emergency unit of this premiere hospital, the basic things like Drip Set and Intravenous Fluid are not available and the concerned doctor asked us to purchase the same from market”, said Virender Singh, an attendant, whose brother was under treatment in Emergency unit of Medical College Jammu.
Another attendant of a patient, who was undergoing treatment for his injuries that he sustained in a road accident, said that even drip sets and cotton are not available in the hospital and they brought the same from the market.
However, Dr Inderjeet Bhagat, Managing Director, JKMSCL, when contacted, refuted that there is any laxity on the part of Corporation in supply of any drug, fluid or other allied items. He said we procure drugs and other allied items from various parts of India and then these are tested by third party. This whole process of procurement and testing takes at least three months but authorities of GMCH Jammu and associated hospitals submitted us recognition of IV fluids and other items in April end, which they supposed to do before November 30, then how it is possible for us to give them supply of these items within 20 days.
However, sensing the gravity of the situation, we are providing these IV fluids and drip sets to GMCH and associated hospitals from Provincial Drug Ware House, where these fluids are in abundant.
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