Telangana:  Director of Medical Education answers questions surrounding drugs shortage controversy

‘We have told superintendents to circulate list of drugs supplied by TSMIDC, and list of locally procured drugs, to all departments including Out Patient, Casualty’.

The controversy surrounding shortage of medicines at Telangana government hospitals is gaining momentum as days pass by. The State’s Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy has held a video conference with superintendents on Tuesday and instructed them to make list of emergency medicines unavailable and procure them immediately.

In a brief interview, he answered some questions arising out of the controversy.

Are medicines in short supply at Telangana government hospitals?

It depends on how you look at it. If someone has fancy for a particular antibiotic and says it is not available, then it is a shortage. Something specific which is not available cannot be treated as shortage. Antibiotics, painkillers, IV fluids, are available with us.  One drug will be supplied by many companies. If someone writes a trade name, pharmacist might say that it is not available. Pharmacist knows molecule name.

What can be done to address this situation?

We have told superintendents to circulate list of drugs supplied by TSMIDC, and list of locally procured drugs, to all departments including Out Patient, Casualty. This was a practice earlier. It got discontinued. You can go through the list and write molecule name, that is generic name. There will be no trade names in the list.

What should doctors do if a drug needed for emergency treatment is unavailable, or if the drug that helps in recovery is not available?