Acknowledging acute shortage of essential drugs in government hospitals and primary health centres, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said that currently there was “nil stock” of 190 essential drugs of the total 410 essential drugs that the government supplies for free.
He assured that the supply is likely to be streamlined by April 1. He admitted that the government had “failed in its primary responsibility”.
Responding to question from BJP member D.S. Arun, who posed it on behalf of his party colleague Gopinath, the Minister said that of the total drugs that the government purchases for public supply, 410 were “essential drugs” and 322 were “desirable drugs”, and that supply management had been hit due to delay in tendering process.
