Centre to open drug stores in dist hospi

Lily

B.R
Staff member
CENTRE TO OPEN DRUG STORES IN DIST HOSPITALS


Chandigarh November 16:
The Department of Petrochemicals and Fertilisers, Government of India (GOI), will open drug stores in all district hospitals of Punjab.
A press statement issued by Vijay Kain, principal secretary, Health, Punjab, said health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla met Ashok Kumar, secretary, Department of Petrochemicals, in Delhi regarding the project. “The GOI drug stores will store and sell medicines and drugs manufactured by public sector units of the Union government,” said Kain.
He stated that at present patients bought medicines from big companies at a huge cost. If these drug stores were opened, contracts from the five public sector units at much cheaper rates could be obtained which would facilitate availability of such drugs by at least 60 per cent cheaper rates. He said the first store at the Amritsar Civil Hospital would be opened by November 30, 2008.
Professor Chawla also met Union health minister Anbumani Ramdoss and urged him to increase the pay package for contractual doctors working under the National Rural Health Mission. She said the Union health minister had assured her of revising the pay package from the present Rs 15,000 for female medical officers and Rs 20,000 for gynaecologists and pediatricians.
She further said Dr Ramdoss had informed that the first phase of the Mission would be launched this year covering Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. The issue regarding the eligibility conditions for availing the state Illness Fund by only BPL families was also taken up by Professor Chawla with the Union minister. Since there were only 6 per cent BPL families in Punjab, the state was not able to utilise these funds properly. Also there was no other institute except the PGI, Chandigarh, for providing treatment for serious illnesses requiring the services of super-specialists.
The Union minister was requested to allow the treatment to these families in private hospitals at PGI rates. She said the response of Dr Ramdoss was very positive. Satish Chandra, director, NRHM, Punjab, revealed that Dr Ramdoss expressed keenness to visit Amritsar in December 2008 and seek co-operation of the SGPC and other religious bodies against female foeticide, drug abuse and use of tobacco, alcohol and junk foods.
 
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