Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 30: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today alleged that the Government has failed to implement State drug policy which was aimed to make drugs available to the poorest of poor in the state-run hospitals.
The president of DAK Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan said, “non implementation of drug policy deprives patients from fundamental right of access to medicines which are essential component of health care”.
“Drug policy for the Jammu and Kashmir was sanctioned in January 2012 to ensure availability of quality drugs to patients in Government hospitals and check influx of spurious drugs besides enforcing rational prescribing,” he said, adding a patients have to purchase all medicines and Government hospitals are boosting the business of private chemist shops.
Dr Hassan said that the essential drug list which has to be updated after every two years to reflect therapeutic advances, resistance pattern and public health relevance has not been revised. He said: “The success of drug policy will entirely depend on efficient procurement mechanism to ensure quality drugs available throughout the year without stock outs.”
He alleged that the Government has failed to operationalize JK Medical Supplies Corporation which was set up in the wake of spurious drugs flooding market in 2013 to do away with the system of purchase committees and streamline procurement, storage and distribution of drugs.
“The drug testing laboratory at Srinagar has not been upgraded and the ill equipped lab cannot ensure quality of drugs in majority of cases,” the DAK president said, adding, that one percent of drugs are being tested and in 99% of the cases the consumers rely on the quality assurances of pharma companies.
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