Senior Citizens Allege Low Quality Medicines Supplied Under CGHS In Hyderabad

Hyderabad, 11 Oct 2018: Senior citizens and other government employees who are receiving medicines under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) in Hyderabad are alleging that agencies which are entrusted to provide medicines to the patients under CGHS scheme are given low quality medicines of brands other than prescribed by the physicians. 

In Hyderabad there are about 13 dispensaries that are run under CGHS, where in senior citizens, pensioners and central government employees who are being treated under the supervision of government doctors in various government hospitals, are provided free medicines under the CGHS. However, the beneficiaries, particularly the senior citizens and pensioner are levelling allegations that the medicines provided by these dispensaries are of poor quality and the agencies which have been entrusted to dispense the medicines are procuring low cost medicines of lesser known brands and supplying them to the patients. “The doctors are prescribing one thing, while the pharmacists dispensing medicines are giving some other brands of medicines to the patients. In fact the government must procure the medicines from the department stores and supply it to the patients. But, the chemists are procuring the medicines from the local distributors and supplying medicines of different brand names other than what the doctor’s are prescribing,” alleged P V Ramanaiah, a senior citizen, procuring medicines under CGHS. 

In fact the CGHS comes under the Union ministry of health and family welfare and supplies medicines to patients of government hospitals. Until last year, there were no complaints as the dispensaries received medicines from an authorised medical store department, however during the past 6 months the initiative of procuring medicines has been given to the respective authorities at the dispensaries through a tender process. However, there are allegations that there is a nexus between the officers authorising tenders and the chemists, because of which the chemists are allowed to procure low quality medicines, as the officials are overlooking the procurements made by the dispensaries. 

The office of additional director, CGHS, is entrusted to supervising responsibility, whether the dispensaries are dispensing the right kind of medicines to the patients, or whether there is any sub-standard or low quality of medicines is being distributed to the patients. However, it seems the authorities are least bothered to check all these things. “The concerned authorities have failed to supervise what kind of medicines is being dispensed by CGHS dispensaries. Most of the time, the senior citizens are forced to stand for 3-5 hours to get their medicines. The apathy of medical staff is clearly visible at these dispensaries, which is causing lot of inconvenience to the patients,” said K P Rao, a senior citizens beneficiary at Tarnaka dispensary. 

In Hyderabad, there are 50,000 beneficiaries who are given 11,000 cards to get free treatment and medicines through the CGHS. Every day as many as 300-400 patients visit the dispensaries for getting free medicines. Pharmabiz