Waseem Ahmad
SRINAGAR, Jan 19: It is more than five years since the construction work on the lone Drug Warehouse at Bemina on the outskirts of Srinagar was started but lack of funds has delayed the project work.
The Drug Warehouse was sanctioned by the Government due to the shortage of space in the existing drug stores in Srinagar.
With a project cost of Rs 9 crores, authorities started the construction work on the Warehouse in 2012. The project was supposed to be completed in 2017 but funds scarcity overstretched it, and the authorities failed to complete it within the stipulated time. So far, the authorities have only managed to complete the ground floor of the building.
Director Health Services Kashmir, Saleem-ur-Rehman said the aim is to set up a state of art drug store wherein the drugs will be stored on scientific lines. “The only drug Warehouse here was in Barzulla which is in a dilapidated condition. So we thought of having a good and independent Drug Warehouse where drugs will be stored as per the scientific norms. The drug warehouse will be centrally located and that makes it easily accessible to all the hospitals,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), the executing agency, blamed the paucity of funds for the delay. “Due to the scarcity of funds, the project was delayed. But we still managed to complete the ground floor of the building and hand it over to the authorities. Besides, the work on the first floor is underway and it will be ready by the end of this month.” a JKPCC official, said, adding that out of Rs 9 crores the Government has only released Rs 5 crores and rest of the amount is pending.
According to an official of Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL), the space required for the Warehouse should be 6000 square feet and it should be well equipped. “Ideally, the space required for the storage of drugs should be large enough and well equipped. The existing drug stores operate from old buildings and are not equipped with the latest technology.”
Pertinently, as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) framed by JKMSCL the medicine received in the Drug Warehouse shall be kept in the quarantine area demarcated by the red ribbon or red line or putting up the sign board. “The proper storage of the medicines/hospital supplies as per the requirements under Drug and Cosmetic Act shall be the responsibility of the In-charge drug Warehouse and no such medicine, for which the facilities of proper storage are not available, shall be received in the Drug Warehouse”, SOP suggested.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
