Patients to get all necessary medicines in government medical hospitals; Maharashtra Minister Hasan Mushrif
Mumbai, July 8
Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif on Wednesday said patients at all government medical hospitals in the state will be provided with all necessary medicines by the hospital and will not be required to purchase them from outside.
Answering a question raised by MLA Vilas Bhumare in the Assembly, Mushrif said action would be taken against the superintendent of the concerned hospital if any patient is compelled to buy medicines from outside.
The minister said the government's objective is to provide quality and uninterrupted healthcare services to every patient visiting government medical hospitals.
He said adequate availability of medicines would be ensured in hospitals so that patients do not face inconvenience in accessing treatment.
Mushrif also said the government plans to seek assistance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the future to provide better and safer healthcare services to people at government hospitals.
Earlier in June, Hasan Mushrif directed officials to prepare a detailed proposal for the effective utilisation of surplus plasma available in the state for manufacturing life-saving medicines and improving access to affordable treatment.
A review meeting of the Medical Education Department was held at Mantralaya under the chairmanship of Minister Mushrif, which was attended by Medical Education and Drugs Department Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, Commissioner Anil Bhandari, and other senior officials.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the large quantity of excess plasma available in blood banks across Maharashtra. Officials informed that the state has around 450 blood banks, of which 79 are government-run, while the remaining are operated by private and voluntary organisations. It was further informed that while the government sector currently has about 25,000 litres of surplus plasma, the private sector holds more than 3,00,000 litres.
The meeting also deliberated on utilising this surplus plasma for manufacturing medicines used in the treatment of haemophilia, thalassaemia, and other serious diseases. Minister Mushrif directed officials to prepare a comprehensive proposal in this regard and initiate further action.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good initiative but the real challenge is ensuring quality medicines. Many times government hospitals receive substandard drugs. Need strict quality checks and accountability.
The plasma utilization plan is brilliant! Maharashtra has so much surplus plasma - using it for thalassaemia patients will be game changing. But why only NGOs? Involve IITs and medical colleges too.
My mother was treated at Sion hospital last year - we had to buy almost 40% medicines from outside. Rs. 15,000 extra expense! If this rule is enforced properly, it will save poor families from huge burden. But please also focus on reducing wait times at OPDs.
Has anyone checked the ground reality? In many government hospitals, even basic drugs like paracetamol are often out of stock. First fix the supply chain, then make such announcements 🙏 Good intentions but execution is key.
As a doctor working in Pune's govt hospital, I can say this is achievable if procurement processes are streamlined. Current tenders take months! Also, private sector has 3 lakh litres plasma - that's criminal waste. Use it for life-saving drugs now!
Good step but what about super-speciality hospitals? My father was referred to KEM from
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.