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AIIMS Bathinda: Medicine shortage at AMRIT pharmacy boon for pvt chemists
Mandated to make generic and lifesaving branded drugs and surgical products available under one roof at affordable rates
The Central government’s ambitious project AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) pharmacy, at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, is proving a bane for patients and a boon for private chemists outside the premium institute.
Run by HLL Lifecare Limited, a Union government enterprise, AMRIT is mandated to make generic and lifesaving branded drugs and surgical products available under one roof at affordable rates. It buys drugs and medical products directly from the manufacturers and passes on the profit margins to patients.
The average per day patient footfall at the institute located about 10 km from the city is 2,500 and it has more than 1,000 patients in the inpatient department (IPD) and emergency wards.
But, an HT interaction with several patients, attendants, doctors, and paramedical staff on the AIIMS campus reveals that prescription bouncing at AMRIT is common.
Private chemists have set up around seven shops outside the AIIMS campus and more are coming up. These shops are relying on the Central medical institute as there is no other healthcare facility in the vicinity. People have to rush to these chemist shops located more than 2 km from the emergency and IPD on the AIIMS campus due to non-availability of several medicines and medical items required for various surgeries and treatments.
The AIIMS administration confirms its dissatisfaction with the functioning of the existing lone pharmacy on it campus, but expressed helplessness as the pharmacy control is beyond its administrative domain.
Multiple sources said patients may get discounts on medicines from the chemists’ shops outside but they can save more if the same is made available at AMRIT.
An automobile entrepreneur from Faridkot, whose mother was admitted recently to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), said he had to drive outside every time doctors prescribe drugs for the patient which remain unavailable at the AMRIT store located in the adjoining OPD (outpatient department).
“Healthcare at AIIMS is highly satisfactory but the role of the lone pharmacy is dismal. The drug dispensation window at the AMRIT counter remains overcrowded and after standing in a queue for a long time, I was told that the prescribed medicines are unavailable,” he said.
Head of the urology department Dr Kawaljit Singh Kaura said the daily average OPD rate is 200 patients and almost half of them complain of prescription bouncing.
“We mostly get patients from rural areas and they always want to strictly go by the prescription. They doubt getting a substitute from private chemists. AMRIT pharmacy is certainly overburdened and more counters should be there to cater to the patients,” said Kaura.
A male nursing officer in the general surgery ward said attendants are commonly seen complaining about rushing to private shops. “Scores of attendants have no vehicle and they feel harassed when AMRIT staff inform them that prescription is out of stock,” he said.
Another senior faculty member said AMRIT pharmacy has no competition, adding that it cannot be held accountable by AIIMS, due to which prescription bouncing is common.
“It is a curious case to study why the pharmacy fails to cater to patients while chemist shops outside the campus remain well-stocked with medicines. Private chemists are often seen supplying medicines and other items to the patients in the hospital in violation of norms as AMRIT remains without several medical products,” said the associate professor.
AIIMS spokesperson Dr Akhilesh Pathak said the AMRIT pharmacy is unable to uphold its mandate to provide drugs and surgical products at highly concessional rates and the Central authorities were apprised of the total dissatisfaction over the pharmacy’s performance.
“The administrative control in the pharmacy is with the Central government and we are making efforts to strengthen the system. We are coming up with another AMRIT counter in IPD block and soon a Jan Aushadhi Kendra, a Central government initiative that aims to provide affordable and quality medicines to the public, would also be opened,” said Pathak, also the dean, academics at the institute.
Manager of AMRIT at AIIMS Bathinda Sukhwinder Singh attributed prescription bouncing to lesser space to stock medicines and periodic short supply by the pharmaceutical vendors.
“The existing window is insufficient to cater to the rush of patients. We expect a drug licence for another outlet in the OPD block within a week and it will reduce bouncing and speed up the drug dispense. The state government has a pendency of ₹6 crore towards Ayushman Bharat scheme beneficiaries. It delays payments to our wholesale suppliers that further hit supplies of pharmaceutical goods,” he added.
