What happened to hyped Drug Policy?
8/31/2015
Nitesh Sangral
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 30: Much hyped Drug Policy is still a
distant dream for the poor and needy patients of Jammu and Kashmir as many
believe it was swept under the carpet owing to the influence of strong drug
lobby that operates in the state. Pertinently, the drug policy for the state
was sanctioned in 2012 to ensure availability of quality drugs to patients in
all government hospitals and check influx of spurious drugs besides enforcing
rational prescription. Reliable Sources in health department told Early Times
that many times, the concerned officials of the hospitals, NGO's and other
organizations had requested and called on higher ups of the health Department
but to little avail. "some officials of the department have nexus with the
pharma companies and they earn huge profits by helping or boosting the business
of private chemist shops in the state, "they claimed.
They further said that the government of India had sent
many reminders to the State Health Department to provide better health care
facilities to poor and needy people of the State but owing to lackadaisical
approach of officials of concerned department, it failed to implement and
provide cheaper drugs to the poor and needy patients.
Sources claimed that the poor patients- who couldn't
afford costly medicines- are compelled to purchase costly medicines from the
private shops and government hospitals are boosting the business of private
chemist shops.
"The government has failed to implement state drug
policy which was aimed to make drugs available to poor in all government
hospitals in the State, "said president of DAK Nisar-ul-Hassan, adding due
to non-implementation of drug policy deprives patients from fundamental right
of access to medicines which are essential component of health care.
Commissioner Secretary of Health Department MK Bhandari
did not respond to repeated calls for a comment.
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