Ban on pvt pharmacies at govt-run hospitals

Hyderabad: The Telangana government as set a stage to shut down private medical shops in districts and area government hospitals after the government has decided to ban private pharmacies in the premises of State-run hospitals.

It is said that the owners of private medical shops have declared that they will not close the shops at any cost. They even reportedly said that they will get court stay order if needed.

Health Minister T Harish Rao ordered the officials of health and medical department to close private medical shops. Also, the officials were told to supply all types of medicines to government hospitals free of cost.

The government supplies free medicines to all its hospitals. It had allocated Rs 330 crore for the past three years and this year Rs 500 crore was allotted for the same.

The government permitted to run private medical shops in the premises of government hospitals in districts and areas a few years ago. In hospitals like Gandhi, Osmania, Niloufer, medicines worth lakhs of rupees will be sold per day. The owners of these hospitals are earning crores of rupees per month.

It was alleged that the doctors are prescribing medicines that are available in private pharmacies.

There are also allegations that medicines are being given free for one week or ten days even though doctor prescribes to take medicines for one month. There are enough medicines in some hospitals. Hence, patients are forced to buy medicines in private shops.

A senior doctor said steps are being taken to close private pharmacies in the premises of government hospitals following the orders of Minister Harish Rao. "What is the need of private medical shops when the government is providing medicines free," he questioned. Action will be taken on the doctors, who prescribe to purchase medicines in private shops instead of giving free medicines, he informed.

On Monday, the government doctors will not be allowed to do private practice from now onwards. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has reportedly given a green signal to this rule, suggested by medical and health department. According to sources, the new rule will be applicable to the new recruits and not for those doctors, already working.

The government is reportedly mulling to raise the salaries of the new recruited doctors as they lose private practice. Likewise, salaries and duty timings will be fixed like those in NIMS. The government is going to fill 12,755 medical staff vacancies across the State including more than 10,000 vacancies of doctors, staff nurses, ANM posts. There will be written test for the posts of all categories except for the 3,000 vacant doctor posts.

This is not for the first time that a proposal to ban private practice by government doctors is considered. The then TDP government led by former Minister NT Rama Rao had proposed to implement the ban in 1983 but met with harsh resistance.