Goa HEALTH MINISTER THUNDERS.
It is widely reported by press that that the incumbent Goa Health mister thundered that action will be initiated against Doctors for lack of vital medicines at their health centres.. It is inconceivable that as the past H M. he was ignorant of the procedures. It is sure playing to popular sentiments and gallery to placard the patient as the savior of the masses. No one has heard to date what action has been contemplated, leave alone action taken report .The press in attempt to grab headlines has reported verbatim without doing any background check, as what is procedurally expected, to create hype by screaming headlines beneficial to the politician. The motives are not far fetched with elections around the corner It is investigated that indent of medicines at any health centre precedes a month in advance as per the set procedure. Many a times some vital, life saving drugs meant specially for the poor and marginalized are not available at the distribution centre, for as long as 3 months .The doctors at PHC are not authorized to make private purchases, recommend drugs to authorities a There is no inimum, emergency, discretionary budget at their disposal to tide over such exigencies. The budegetary. provision for purchases is also limited by sanctioned amounts. Hence doctors are only ordained to pick up the stock on information or on schedules dates. Their responsibility is limited to medical examination and prescription of medicines available Hence they are forced to prescribe medicines not in stock to be purchased from outside. The Govt. policy is to purchase generic drugs, under lowest tender quote. The efficacy, or avaiability of better formulations are not the criteria .The lives of the poor are dispensable, besides various pharmaceutical companies have various formulations for the same disease and stocking alternativenmedicine is just not the option .The doctors can only dispense what is on the stock or prescribe in its absence Hence it is absolutely fallacious to hold doctors responsible after indented drugs are not supplied. At most they can send a reminder, which is often a practice Hence the authority responsible to purchase, maintain and distribute stocks to various centres are primarily and solely responsible for shortages. Making the doctor scapegoats for administrative lapses is setting the clock back . Rightly so the community of health doctors have ignored the warning.Please do not fool the poor patients depending on public distribution system for the gros failure of administrative machinery, who should be castigated for th elapse and indifference, insensitivity and derilection of duty nelson Lopes, Chinchinim
