Officials at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) told Republica that the soon-to-be-opened low-cost pharmacies will ensure supply of quality medicines at affordable prices to all. [break]
Director of TUTH Professor Bhagwan Koirala introduced the low-cost pharmacies at Manmohan Cardiothoracic, Vascular and Transplant Centre and later expanded them to TUTH. The low-cost pharmacies have been selling medicines at prices less than half of the printed MRP.
"We have decided to run our own pharmacies at government hospitals across the country and such pharmacies will supply medicines at the prices more or less equal to what the pharmacy at the TUTH have been charging," Dr Pravin Mishra, secretary at MoHP, told Republica.
Dr Mishra said that the ministry is currently busy formulating a guideline for operating such pharmacies. Once the guideline is finalized in about a month, all government hospitals will be asked to set up low-cost pharmacies, said Dr Mishra.
As part of the preparation to implement the plan, the MoHP has already issued directives to all government hospitals asking them not to rent out available spaces where the new pharmacies could be housed.
Government hospitals generate millions of rupees by renting out spaces within their premises, mostly by giving them to privately run pharmacies.
Officials at the MoHP are hopeful that people will get better quality medicines from the low-cost pharmacies. Dr Mishra conceded that the private pharmacies at government hospitals have been fleecing poor patients.
Bhupendra Bahadur Thapa, former chief of Department of Drug Administration (DDA), had earlier told Republcia that doctors at the government hospitals prescribe medicines under the influence of pharmaceutical companies that provide them with attractive gifts.
Secretary Mishra said the hospitals would purchase medicines in bulk and provide patients taking minimum profit. Dr Mishra said the ministry will strictly enforce the guideline and have a mechanism to oversee its implementation.
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