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3 civil hospitals in Chandigarh to get chemist shops by December
Since their inception, the three civil hospitals have been running without a chemist shop, forcing patients and their attendants to venture out to markets for medicines.
Come December, patients visiting the civil hospitals at Sector 22, Sector 45 and Manimajra will be able to buy medicines from the hospital premises itself, with the UT health department deciding to open chemist shops there.
Since their inception, the three civil hospitals have been running without a chemist shop, forcing patients and their attendants to venture out to markets for medicines. The OPDs at all three hospitals see a daily footfall of over 1,000 patients each.
With a capacity of 100 beds, the civil hospital in Sector 22 was the first to be upgraded from dispensary to hospital 24 years ago. It was initially started with only an out-patient department (OPD) and gradually admission facility was introduced for all specialties.
Similarly, the civil hospital in Sector 45 was changed from a dispensary to a 50-bed hospital nearly 15 years ago, while that in Manimajra, having 100 beds, was converted from dispensary a decade ago.
Since their upgrade, the hospitals have been providing specialised medical facilities, including mother and child care, orthopaedic, ENT, gynaecology, paediatric, psychiatry, dermatology, ayurveda and homoeopathy, apart from testing facilities, but no chemist shops.
UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, “Patients needing medicines after markets close have been facing harassment. It’s also not always possible to travel to PGIMER, GMCH-32 or GMSH-16, where chemists are open at night.”
“As the three civil hospitals do not have any vacant shops, the UT health department has identified a garage and vacant rooms to set up the chemist stores. We will start the tendering process this week, while the repairs will be completed in the next 15 days. Private firms will be invited through transparent bidding to open the shops by December this year.”
Discounted medicines
The tender documents will include a clause on minimum discount to be offered to customers. “The contracts for the chemist shops at GMCH-32 provide for a minimum of 15% discount on the MRP of branded medicines, a minimum of 30% discount on generic and branded generic medicines, and a minimum of 30% discount on consumables/surgical items,” Garg said.
