DIBRUGARH, May 22 - Call it shortage or non- availability of medicines, patients at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) here, are required to purchase medicines from nearby private pharmacies amid tall claims of free health intervention by the government.
Most of the medicines prescribed by the consulting doctors of the premiere medical institute are not available at AMCH. Even the TB patients who are required to undergo Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course are compelled to purchase the life saving medicines from elsewhere.
It needs to be mentioned here that the patients, especially those from Below Poverty Line (BPL) are supposed to receive the medicines free of cost from the government. Under the Atal Amrit Abhijan, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the treatment includes cost of the hospital bills, medicines, post diagnostic treatment etc. The State and the Centre make payment for these patients to the hospital. However, due to non-availability of the required medicines, the patients under the Atal Amrit Abhijan, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) admitted in the Assam Medical College & Hospital are bound to purchase the medicines from the private medical stores at higher cost.
Dehing Welfare Society, a local NGO has lodged a written complaint with the Deputy Commissioner here, apprising about the shortage of life saving medicines. �Even the government subsidy available at Amrit Pharmacy inside the AMCH campus is facing acute crunch of medicines. The patients are left with no option but to purchase it from private pharmacies. The worst case is for the cancer patients, who require the chemotherapy medicines, which are very costly and it is out of stock in the Assam Medical College & Hospital and also in the Amrit Pharmacy,� the organization pointed out.
The Society has urged upon the Deputy Commissioner to ensure that the economically backward section received the free treatment under various schemes of the government without any hassle at the medical institute.
