Ayurvedic dispensaries running sans medicines in Punjab

Chandigarh: Even as the central government is pushing for promotion of Indian systems of medicines across the country, ayurvedic dispensaries in Punjab are ailing, thanks to acute shortage of medicines.

There are a total of 524 ayurvedic dispensaries across the state, majority them in rural areas. Medicines in these dispensaries are dispensed free of cost to the patients.

The stock of medicines in these dispensaries has not been replenished since March, after the Punjab and Haryana high court kept a notice issued by the Punjab’s directorate of ayurveda pertaining to purchase of classical ayurvedic/unani medicines under various centrally sponsored schemes in abeyance.

The directorate of ayurveda on March 1, 2019 had issued a notice to 11 firms — government, semi-government and government cooperative societies complying with good manufacturing practice (GMP) — seeking their rate list. The notice was challenged by the Kerala Ayurvedic Co-operative Society Ltd, which contended that it lacked transparency and pleaded that the directorate should have issued a public notice or invited tenders from all eligible concerns including the society.

In its defense, the directorate said that the purchase process was initiated as per communication dated January 2, 2019, issued by the Union ministry of Ayush regarding procurement of the essential ayurveda, Unani, siddha and homoeopathy drugs under the centrally sponsored scheme ‘National Ayush Mission’ (NAM). As per clause (ii) of the communication, the petitioner-society, which is a private society, was not eligible to participate. The case is listed for hearing on October 30.

According to sources, with no purchase made in last six months, majority of these dispensaries are so poorly stocked that they are facing acute shortage of even basic traditional medicines for pain, cold, fever, allergy and blood pressure. Expressing concern over shortage of medicines, a doctor on condition of anonymity, said: “People in the rural areas of the state are at the receiving end due to shortage of medicines in these dispensaries.”

With no other option, patients of these dispensaries have either started going to private practitioners or public health centres (PHCs) of health department which are located at a distance of about 10 to 20km.

Despite repeated attempts, Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu was not available for comments.

DROP IN OPD

The non-availability of medicines has led to significant drop in number of people visiting Ayurvedic dispensaries. On an average, 30 to 35 people used to daily visit these dispensaries. The number now is down to about 5.

IN NUMBERS

Standalone dispensaries | 524

Ayurvedic hospitals | 5

Dispensaries on co-location | 143