GUWAHATI, Jan 31: Assam health minister Ashok Singhal has urged government doctors in the state to prescribe only generic medicine in the Essential Drug List (EDL), notified for government health centres and hospitals, in order to ensure uninterrupted supply of medicine for patients.
“During my recent visits to civil hospitals across Assam, I observed that numerous patients complained about the non-availability of medicine in the hospital pharmacies. To address this, I requested all government doctors to prescribe only generic medicine notified for government health centres and hospitals to ensure uninterrupted supply of medicine, so that no patient faces non availability,” Singhal said on Friday.
The health minister informed that the available medicine would be displayed in all government hospitals.
“Patients facing issues can reach out by sending a copy of the prescription to a helpline (WhatsApp) number: 98645-41430,” he said.
Notably, Singhal had visited Sribhumi Civil Hospital on Thursday morning, as part of his two-day visit to Barak Valley.
During his inspection, he assessed the hospital’s infrastructure and services, visiting every ward and reviewing various arrangements.
The minister held a meeting with the hospital’s superintendent, the district’s joint director of health services, National Health Mission officials and other key stakeholders to evaluate the hospital’s facilities.
During the visit, a patient had raised concerns about the unavailability of medicine, prompting the minister to review the hospital’s medicine stock.
Singhal urged doctors to ensure that available hospital medicines are prescribed instead of directing patients to outside pharmacies.
Additionally, the minister directed the hospital authorities to introduce paid cabin services within a fortnight besides underlining the need for a monthly cleanliness drive on the hospital premises.
Later, the minister reviewed the district’s healthcare performance in a meeting held at the Sribhumi district commissioner’s office.
The discussion covered key health indicators, including maternal and infant mortality rates, antenatal care registration, the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, vaccination coverage, wage compensation for pregnant women in tea estates, the 100-day tuberculosis eradication campaign and non-communicable disease screenings for individuals over 30 years of age.