AFDLH writes to DMER for action against hospitals for creating artificial shortage of drugs for profiteering

Mumbai, July 13, 2019: All Food And Drug Licence Holders Foundation (AFDLH) has written to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) in Maharashtra for action against the corrupt practices of creating artificial shortage of drugs in government hospitals. It has alleged that hospitals blame Haffkine Bio Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited's procurement department in the process for the delay in providing medicines in time.

AFDLH says that it is a deliberate act of the stores in charge of hospitals in Mumbai to send less requirement for medicines to Haffkine thus creating artificial shortage. The medicines are then sold at exorbitant prices at the point of care for profiteering at the cost of the patient.

“Maharashtra Government has directed all the hospitals that all the procurement related to health department are to be made by Haffkine Bio Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited. Medical colleges are not sending their requirement to Haffkine and creating shortage deliberately,” informed AFDLH National President Abhay Pandey.

In most of the cases the requirements are sent for negligible quantities and in some cases requirements are not sent at all. For the year 2019-20 requirements are being sent on negligible quantity. DMER has also asked all the government medical hospital to provide their requirements for the year 2019-20 based on the list of more than 3500 products.

Against the said list, one of the civic run hospital has submitted only 473 product requirements, that also in negligible quantity (the said requirements may be the consumption of only for two – three months). Under the list of requirements, the category wise requirements sent to Haffkine are as follows.

For tablet and capsules of 444 products, requirement is sent for 114 products, for injection out of 409 products, requirement is sent for 128 products, for liquid orals out of 252 products, requirement is sent for 35 products, for disinfectant out of 35 products, requirements is sent for 12 products (that also of only of one manufacturer), for IV Fluids out of 66, requirement is sent for 20 products, for surgical dressing, out of 55 products, requirements is sent for 33 products, for surgical drug out of 469 products, requirement is sent only for 92 products, for sutures out of 431 items, requirement is sent only for 95 products, for anti cancer products, out of 186 products requirement is sent for only 8 products.

This clearly shows that it is the deliberate attempt of local purchases under high rates. It is also noticed that the some of the stocks which are procured for more than the requirements in many cases are lying idle in the stores unutilized.

Most of the medical hospitals are also not sending the acknowledgements for the stocks supplied against the orders placed by Haffkine thus harassing the suppliers deliberately.

“Public Health Department has adopted e- aushadhi system in the year 2014 itself, where in DMER is deliberately delaying the e-aushadhi system in their departments. Due to this, corrupt practices have been adopted in medical colleges. It is therefore requested to curtail this type of practice to save the public money,” the letter concludes.