Officers will be booked for drug shortage: Bharadwaj

NEW DELHI: Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday informed the Assembly that cases will be registered against the chief secretary and the health secretary over the shortage of medicines in state-run hospitals and dispensaries.

The issues of medicine shortage and the stoppage of free diagnostic tests at mohalla clinics by “some officers concerned” were raised in the Assembly by AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam through a calling attention motion under Rule 54.

During the proceedings, Bharadwaj submitted two reports, including one from the chief secretary and the health secretary, saying they gave in writing that medicines were available in hospitals and mohalla clinics and those unavailable were substituted. The other report was based on the feedback of MLAs, news reports and his own inquiries, the minister said.

He alleged that the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) tender of 2023 was yet to be finalised despite the availability of bids, terming it a “premeditated conspiracy”.

Medicines for government hospitals, dispensaries and mohalla clinics are procured through the CPA, he said. The health minister said the issues of medicine shortage and stopping of tests at mohalla clinics came to light in January. He wrote to the chief secretary for details and action on February 12, and again on March 4 and March 18 but nothing happened.

There are alternative methods of medicine procurement through local purchase or contract rate purchase by the hospitals but the medical superintendents and the medical directors informed in meetings held on March 1 and March 11 that it was made “impossible” due to circulars issued by the Health department, said the minister.

“So, it was a pre-planned conspiracy to stop medicine supplies by obstructing the CPA tender. What will (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal or Saurabh Bharadwaj do if medicines itself are not available at the hospitals and dispensaries?” he said in the House.