Instead of generating millions from the rent, the management council of the hospital has decided to run its own pharmacy in full-fledged form the next fiscal year. [break]
The contracts of the private pharmacies will expire within the next three days. The hospital administration said that it has already informed the owner of the pharmacies about the decision of the management council.
"We have decided not to renew the contract of private pharmacies operating inside our hospital," Dr Bhawan Koirala, director of the hospital told Republica, adding, "We will ourselves run pharmacies." He said that the private pharmacies have invested over 60 million and the hospital administration will working with them to find a better solution for their exit.
Like other government hospitals across the country, the TUTH has been generating millions of rupees by renting out spaces within the hospital premises to private pharmacies. The Bir Hospital, the largest government hospital in the country, generates over one million a month in rent from a single pharmacy. The hospital has rented out several spaces within its premises. Ultimately, the poor patients have to bear the burden of renting cost, which is sad because most of them go to government hospitals for quality treatment at affordable price.
The decision of the TUTH administration to run a pharmacy comes as a great relief to the patients as the hospital´s dispensary will provide medicines at much lower prices. Poor patients will get medicines at a price that is lesser than the MRP.
The hospital pharmacy has been selling some medicines at less than 800 percent of what is printed as MRP.
The drug manufacturers keep huge profit margin for retailers but the TUTH is giving away the medicines at heavy discounts.
"Due to the budget crunch, we cannot not start the pharmacies in full-fledged manner at once," Chandra Kumar Rai, chief of hospital administration, said, adding, He said that all required medicines will be available in the hospital pharmacy and patients will get medicines at reasonable prices. He said that the hospital will build additional facilities in some of the spaces that are being used by private pharmacies.
The private pharmacies at government hospitals have been fleecing poor patients. Doctors at the government hospitals have been accused of prescribing medicines under the influence of pharmaceutical companies that provide them with attractive gifts. Such trends are expected to end once the hospital pharmacy comes in operation.
Dr Koirala had earlier established similar low-cost pharmacy at Manmohan Cardiothoracic, Vascular and Transplant Center (MCVTC).
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