Patients undergoing treatment at the out patient department (OPD) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS), Bhopal would not receive free medicines. Director, AIIMS Dr Sandeep Kumar said OPD patients would not get medicines free of cost. They will have to buy them from the drug stores which would be established on the premises of AIIMS.

The medicines in these drug stores would be 30% less expensive as compared to market price, he added. Dr Kumar said some basic medicines like IV-Fluids, antibiotics and other general drugs would be provided free of cost to the patients.

At present a temporary OPD has been set up on AIIMS premises where patients of nearby area are getting themselves treated. The main OPD of AIIMS would start by June 2013, while OPD’s of some of the different departments would be started by January.

Dr Kumar said the patients who come to AIIMS for treatment were critical and the medicines used in their treatment were also expensive and the hospital cannot afford these medicines for all the patients. He said below poverty line (BPL) patients would be able to get benefits of all the schemes run by central and state government.

Informing about the treatment and admission charges of AIIMS, Dr Kumar said a governing body has been established in all the AIIMS to decide the charges. This body would be headed by minister of health and family welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad and three MPs from the state would be also included in the governing body.

The director other administrative officers of AIIMS would be also involved in the governing body.