Bhubaneswar: In a significant move, Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department Thursday directed all the public health institutions to vacate medicine stores from all the hospital premises. In a letter, H&FW Commissioner-cum-Secretary Shalini Pandit said, “Certain campus medicine stores had approached the Orissa High Court assailing the communication of this department dated 27.02.2015, wherein it was directed that no extension of licence of on-campus medical stores is to be permitted, and further, no new campus medical store is to be opened. Despite expiry of their licence agreements, these campus medicine stores had been running their businesses in under interim orders passed by the High Court.” Pandit also said, “The High Court after adjudicating the matters has, vide final order and judgement dated 19.04.2024, dismissed all the aforementioned writ petitions. The court has further been pleased to vacate all interim orders passed on the matters.” “In light of the aforesaid development, you are hereby directed to immediately issue ‘vacation notices’ to campus medicine shops affording therein a time period of 15 days for vacating the premises.
All pending dues as per the last executed licence agreements have also to be recovered. You are further directed to take all possible steps in accordance with law to recover possession of the premises immediately after the expiry of the 15 days period,” she said. The department also sought a compliance report with regard to the issuance of notices to campus medicine stores within two working days without fail. Earlier, the HC had upheld the decision of the state government not to extend the licences of medicine stores set up on the premises of government medical colleges and hospitals.
Delivering its order on a petition challenging the move of the Health Department, the court upheld the decision of non-renewal of licences of on-campus medicine stores at government medical colleges and hospitals as well as district headquarters hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres. Proprietors and owners of on-campus medicine stores had challenged the order of the department prohibiting the extension of licences of any on-campus medicine stores citing that the state government had started providing free medicines to patients under its ‘Niramaya Scheme’. The HC in its ruling observed that the free medicinal care policy of the state marks a monumental step forward in prioritising public health and welfare.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
