Will it be a prescription for failure?
The AAP govt. will roll out the free medicines scheme today, but the staff at govt. hospitals claim not enough time has been given to set up the system
Hours before the Delhi government is set to launch its most ambitious plan yet: free medicines and consumables for all at its government hospitals — staff, patients and healthcare analysts are wondering just how the government plans to fulfil this promise.
“Will these items turn-up magically tomorrow?” asks a relative of a patient rushing back with two bags full of consumables and medicines at Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash (LNJP) Hospital on Sunday.
His mother has had heart surgery and doctors gave him a list of medicines to be bought from a chemist outside the hospital, as the institution doesn't have any in stock.
“Please don’t take our pictures or complain about this to anyone. I just want my mother to be treated well. I don’t want any trouble. It's enough that she got a bed at the hospital and that surgery was done… the family is ready to bear the rest of the medical costs,” says the patient’s son as he rushes away with a relative towards the ward.
Refusal to complain against the hospital or lack of medicines and services seems common among the kin who are seen patiently waiting their turn at the chemist counters near the hospitals.
“Despite being a Sunday we cannot take a holiday. We work round the clock 365 days,” says the shopkeeper at Irwin chemist shop located just outside LNJP hospital. “Of course, there is always a rush here, we have two major government hospitals running across the road,” he adds.
Doctors too echo similar sentiments.
“To improve public health, the Delhi government claims that it will divert the Rs. 350 crore saved in construction of flyovers to provide free medicines. The February 1 deadline could have been possible had we paced ourselves toward it. Now doctors will have to shift the onus of procuring medicines onto the administration. We have also been asked to put up the list of medicines not available and the date by which it will be provided to the patients. This might have a positive influence,” said Dr. Pankaj Solanki from the Federation of Resident Doctors Association.
What is adding to the problem here according to senior doctors in Delhi government hospitals is the fact that many of the medicines and consumables used are not listed with the Central Procurement Agency (CPA), pricing of these commodities vary and adequate time hasn’t been given to set the system up and running.
The government, however, has dismissed this as nothing more than teething problems which they claim will work itself out.
As for the next phase of the plan where the government announced that it will make medical testing free, doctors explain that equipment in the government hospitals is already not up to the task and outsourcing is an accepted practice in the hospitals.
“CT Scan is available only in three major Delhi government hospitals, MRI is available only in LNJP and a lot of other tests for hospitals are outsourced. The Delhi government will have to re-look and expand its budget plan for the health services in case it is serious about free health for all policy,’’ said a Delhi government doctor.
The February 1 deadline could have been possible had
we paced ourselves toward it
Dr. Pankaj Solanki,President of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association
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