Berhampur: State government’s Niramaya scheme, that aims to facilitate free medicines at government hospitals, has failed in its objective at MKCG Medical College & Hospital in Berhampur town of Ganjam district, patients have alleged.
Even though thousands of patients from more than 10 districts of the state rely on this premier medical college and hospital, lack of medicines at the free medicine store has meant that the scheme is not serving the needy.
According to the government guideline, the Niramaya centre should have stocks of 750 types of medicine but only 360 types of medicines are available at the four counters in this centre. After waiting in long queues, some of the lucky patients manage to get medicines for 10-12 days when the doctor recommends medicine for 2-3 months, said a source. The patients very well corroborate this.
“I have been visiting this hospital for the last five months. I never managed to find necessary medicines at the Niramaya counter here,” says Akshaya Kumar Bisoi, a resident of Gajapati Nagar who is under treatment at this hospital for liver ailments.
When contacted to MKCG hospital Director Santosh Kumar Mishra said the doctors here only prescribe medicines that are available at the Niramaya centre.
Mishra went to add that he never came across an incident when the doctors recommended any medicine that was not available at the Niramaya store. Besides, he assured that the hospital administration would procure the medicine and provide it to the patients free of cost if some necessary medication was not available at the Niramaya store.