BMC fails to justify eight-month delay

Mumbai: The councillors have demanded an inquiry report against the delay in procuring medicines in the last standing committee meeting but the BMC had failed to give any inquiry report to justify the delay. The councillors allege that there is a nexus between the BMC officials and private chemists and pathology labs, a prime reason for the delay in procuring medicines and lab kits that are accessible free/on subsidised rates to patients.

They further allege that many listed schedules include several generic medicines, which can be bought at a low cost, but the civic doctors purposely prescribe non-generic medicines, so as to favour private chemists. “The nexus between the BMC and private chemists is the sole reason why the chemists are flourishing near civic hospitals,” said Rais Shaikh.

According to Dr. Avinash Supe, dean, KEM hospital, civic hospitals generally don’t stock generic medicines and ask the patients to get it from outside. But according to PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra’, hospitals should keep the stock of these generic medicines.

The proposal to issue tenders to procure lab items, however was not passed and kept on ‘record’.

In the previous meeting, Additional Municipal Commissioner Vijay Singhal was asked to present a report justifying the delay of eight months.

“In the reply they wrote that the hospitals had excess stock, which is why they couldn’t form a proper list of requirements. This is not valid reason,” said Prabhakar Shinde, a BJP councillor.