A current setup at Delhi.
24x7 pharmacy opens at AIIMS to give 56% discount, install complaint box
NEW DELHI: There's good news for 10,000-odd patients, who visit AIIMS' OPD daily.
In a first-of-its-kind venture in a government hospital, a 24x7 pharmacy shop opened at the hospital this week has the mandate to provide all medicines and surgical consumables prescribed by an AIIMS doctor to an OPD patient at a 56% discount on MRP across the board.
Imagine getting an anti-cancer drug - most of which cost at least Rs 80,000, for around Rs 35,200.
Till now, medicines of patients admitted in the hospital's general ward were free or highly subsidized.
"There was no any mechanism to serve the medication needs of the OPD patients. These patients were left with no choice but to purchase the medicines from the private pharmacy shops located across the road at exorbitant prices. These included around 10,000 new patients and double the number of old patients coming up for follow-up, from across the country. Now, this pharmacy will provide all drugs at a 56% discount on MRP," said Dr Shakti Gupta, who headed a committee that decided on setting up the pharmacy. A committee, headed by HoD pharmacology Dr Y K Gupta, is overlooking its implementation.
Dr Gupta said,
"We have taken a Rs 50-lakh performance guarantee from those running the clinic. If they default, don't provide the medicines, provide substandard medicines or are always out of stock, they will be considered defaulters and lose the Rs 50-lakh security."
The idea of creating a pharmacy was floated through an open tender. The requirement included that the drugs need to cost 30% lesser than MRP.
"We received 12 proposals. The best proposal offered the drugs at 56% discount - the highest among all tenders," Dr Gupta added.
At present, the pharmacy caters only to OPD patients being treated by AIIMS doctors. "The vendor has been told to boldly advertise that all drugs including those needed for chemotherapy here are 56% lesser than MRP. The pharmacy has been stocked as per a list of medicines provided by AIIMS that includes all categories. There can be no compromise on medicine quality and no patient can be turned away by the pharmacy. The monitoring committee will keep a close watch on it," Dr Gupta added.
The World Health Organization recently said 3.2% Indians fall below the poverty line because of high medical bills. About 78% of Indians spend their entire income on healthcare - a majority of which is because of purchasing drugs.
The Planning Commission accepts that out of pocket expenditure to pay for healthcare costs is a growing problem. It says 39 million Indians are pushed to poverty because of ill health every year. Around 30% in rural India didn't go for any treatment for financial constraints in 2004. In urban areas, 20% of ailments were untreated for financial problems the same year. States have cut down on expenses to purchase drugs, adding to aam admi's woes.
The Planning Commission's expert group on universal health coverage has recommended ensuring availability of free essential medicines by increasing public spending on drug procurement.
Vendor told to boldly advertise that all drugs cost 56% lesser than MRP.
There can be no compromise on medicine quality & no patient can be turned away by the pharmacy, says Dr Shakti Gupta.
24x7 pharmacy opens at AIIMS, offers big savings - Times Of India
