The lone shop offering 57% discount on medicines and surgical items at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is likely to be ordered to be shut down.
The estate committee of the institute has called a meeting to review the performance of the shop on Wednesday, after sources said it had received a number of complaints against the functioning of the shop. It has been alleged that a large number of medicines were unavailable at the shop. “We have received complaints that the shop management is selling only a limited number of medicines — on which it can offer 57% discount.
As a result, a large number of patients are being turned away. This defeats the motive behind the opening of the shop in the first place,” said an official from the estate branch of the hospital, not wishing to be named.
The shop, Shivangee Medicos, in the Old PGI Complex, was auctioned to the present operator Shailesh Sanwaria six months back on a nominal rent of Rs 20,000 a month on the condition that it would offer 57% discount on all medicines and surgical items sold.
The contract specified a review of the performance of the chemist after six months with the condition that he could continue only if the services provided were found satisfactory.
Sanwaria said: “My shop is providing all medicines that are on the list provided to us by PGIMER. Our service has brought relief to the poor.”
The contract specified a review of the performance of the chemist after six months with the condition that he could continue only if the services provided were found satisfactory.
Sanwaria said: “My shop is providing all medicines that are on the list provided to us by PGIMER. Our service has brought relief to the poor.”
“Officials of the administration have inspected my shop thrice in three months and we provided them with all the medicines they had asked us to provide,” he added. The idea of auctioning shops at a nominal rent to chemists willing to offer 57% discount is a relatively new one at the PGIMER and the management had announced that it would be widely implemented if its working was found to be satisfactory.
However, contradicting this intent, shops were again auctioned on the basis of the highest rent recently and not the basis of the highest discount offered.