‘Governemt will resolve medicine shortage issue soon’

NAGPUR: Medical and drugs department secretary Sanjay Deshmukh on Saturday said that the state government will soon resolve the issue of shortage of medicines.


Contradicting the allegations by Haffkines Company of not procuring and supplying drugs to Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals (GMCHs) in the state were false as the company is in transition phase and will soon start supplying medicines, he said.

Deshmukh is in the city for bhoomipujan of the new building of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Sunday.

He said that Haffkines had finalized 70% of the tenders. Meanwhile, the deans have been empowered to use 10% of the total budget of the college in a year for drug purchase.

“This year, we have no dearth of funds. Hence, there will be no problem of purchase of medicines and equipment,” said Deshmukh. He also hinted at studying the Tamil Nadu model of drug purchase and see if it can work in Maharashtra.

Talking about the action on doctors from Super Speciality Hospital (SSH) working in private, Deshmukh said that all those found guilty will face action soon and replacements will be made for such doctors.

About blood banks, the secretary said that no new blood bank can be given to SSH, but a blood storage centre can be facilitated.

Earlier, FDA commissioner of Maharashtra Pallavi Darade, who too is here for the bhoomipujan, said the government was working towards controlling online sale of drugs.

“E-Pharmacy is being looked at as a serious issue. Suggestions and objections on the issue have been called for. Once the process is completed, FDA will take necessary action. By then, the central government’s e-sale policy will also be clear,” she said.

Darade said the FDA was short of staff to some extent, but many appointments have been made recently. “47 food safety officers and seven posts of joint commissioners have been filled. The department had trained over 75,000 pharmacists and 12,000-15,000 street food vendors. The process of training food business operators is also on,” she said.

Darade said the new FDA building will have five floors with a food and drug testing laboratory on the third floor. The building will be completed in two-and-a-half years.