It sounds rather paradoxical that a medical college should be without medicines. But that is true about the prestigious Government Medical College (GMC) and Hospital in Jammu. How come the college is not only without essential drugs but also without even ordinary drugs and more regrettably even ordinary equipment of dressing material like cotton and adhesive plaster, and basic laboratory items like glass ware and chemicals. How does a Medical College and a Hospital run without these basic materials? It sounds like a joke and that is what the authorities have made of it. Such is the deterioration of healthcare facilities in our State that the patients are asked to buy from open market not only the drugs and medicines but even ordinary material like cotton and tape.
If that is what authorities desire then the question is what for is the budgetary allocation made for the Health Department. The issue of shortage of medicines and equipment is not the case only with the Medical College. It is true with all affiliated hospitals. We are told that J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) has failed to ensure proper supply in time but we are not told the reason for its failure to do so. It appears that authorities are trying to bring the onus to the doorsteps of the JKMSCL which is assigned the duty of providing drugs and hospital equipment to the GMC. After all there must be a reason why the Corporation has failed to supply the stocks. Either there is some dispute or there is outstanding payment or something like that is there which the authorities are loath to speak openly. How unfortunate that the authorities are so intransigent as to ignore the suffering of hundreds and thousands of poor people in remote parts of the State who bring their ailing patients to the hospital for treatment but here they are asked to purchase even the cotton roll from the market leave aside drugs which they cannot afford to purchase. This is a welfare State and a welfare State means a State that is responsible for providing welfare of the people. If the authorities were gifted with sense of responsibility they would have taken measures at right time to ensure that supply of essential drugs and equipment to the Medical College and Hospital and all allied medical outlets was not obstructed. Even the Health Department has slept over the matter and perhaps everybody with a stake wanted to see the precipitating of the crisis.
Ironically some authorities claim that there is no shortage of medicines or equipment as the College is buying the same from the open market on daily basis. This is the worst cut of all. Does any Medical College and Hospital in any part of the world survive on daily purchases? What if there is a strike or call for strike and all the shops are closed. What will happen to the daily purchase ? Incidentally despite repeated requests of the College authorities to the Government to ensure supply of medicines no heed was paid. Whatever is the reason for short supply of drugs and other medical equipment, the fact and the ugly fact is that it is the poor men in the villages and towns who are the worst sufferers of this type of intransigence of the authorities in the Department of Health.
We make a fervent appeal to the Health Minister to address this issue as early as possible and assure that drugs and other necessary equipment will be provided to the GMC within the shortest possible time.
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