Govind Sharma
JAMMU, May 20: Acute shortage of essential medicines, allied items and important reagents is leading to quarrel between attendants of patients and doctors on duty every now and then in Emergency Ward of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu.
The fresh case is of late last night when attendants of some patients and doctors in Emergency Ward exchanged heated words after the doctors asked them to buy some injections including Diazepam and fluids from the market. According to the hospital sources, all the patients were of road accident cases.
Sources said after verbal duel with attendants of the patients, junior doctors of Surgery department and paramedical staff on duty at Emergency Ward went to strike and suspended all type of works to register their protest against the hospital administration for their failure to provide basic and life saving medicines to the patients. The doctors alleged that due to shortage of medicines they have to face ire of the patients and their attendants every now and then and in this atmosphere it has become difficult for them to work.
“Our job is to provide treatment and consultation and not medicines but when the same is not provided by the hospital administration, we become soft targets of the anger of the frustrated attendants of the patients,” a junior doctor on duty at Emergency Ward said on the condition of anonymity.
Later, Principal GMC Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina, Medical Superintendent, Dr Dara Singh and concerned HoD reached the spot and pacified the protesting staff. On their assurance to streamline the supply of medicines in the hospital, the protesting doctors and paramedical staff suspended their strike at about 2 AM today.
Excelsior had exclusively highlighted last month that the hospital is running out of medicines, fluids and other allied items used in the treatment of the patients. It was also highlighted that even in Emergency Ward where there should be uninterrupted and smooth supply of all essential and life saving medicines, attendants of the patients are made to purchase the drip sets and even medicates from the market.
However, sources said even after one month the condition is same, there is still acute shortage of medicines. “A sum of Rs 2 crore of GMC is lying with J&K Medical Supplies Corporation for making purchase of many medicines and fluids but the Corporation has failed to provide the same,” sources said, adding in last three months the Corporation has provided only medicates and some fluids.
They said with limited funds, the Hospital administration is making some local purchase but that is not enough even to cater to the needs of the patients in Emergency Ward.
Sources said due to shortage of requisite chemicals/drugs/reagents many important investigations are not being done in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Pathology labs of the GMC. When this Correspondent interacted with some patients, their attendants and few junior doctors they disclosed on the assurance of anonymity that many important investigations including Serum Amylase, Bilirubin, Urea, Creatinine and PTI Elisa for HIV have been suspended due to non-availability of required reagents/drugs.
“Though HoDs of these departments have written repeated letters to the concerned authorities regarding acute shortage of essential drugs and reagents required to save the precious lives of the patients but till date the hospital administration has failed to supply the requisite drugs thereby putting the poor and helpless people to the mercy of God,” sources further told Excelsior.
When contacted, Medical Superintendent of GMC Dr Dara Singh said that due to failure of the J&K Medical Supplies Corporation in streamlining the supply of medicines, this crisis has erupted. “In past few months, the Corporation has provided us only some fluids and medicates. Though we are making local purchase of essential medicines with limited funds but it is not sufficient to cater to the increasing rush of the patients until Corporation streamlines the supply of medicines,” he added.
This Correspondent also tried to contact the Principal GMC but she could not be reached for comments.
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