Bengaluru: BBMP’s Namma Clinics that were started with the promise of providing a range of specialty health services are a major draw because they offer drugs free of cost. However, patients coming to Namma Clinics aren’t exactly returning for follow-ups as free drugs aren’t available, a post-graduate medical student with work experience at a Namma Clinic told TOI.
Confirming this, a friend of his who served at another Namma Clinic, said that drugs came in just once during the few months he worked there and added that sometimes, the drugs were procured from the clinic’s parent Primary Health Centre (PHC).
“I’ve had diabetes and hypertensive patients not returning as drugs are not being provided. They are then asked to purchase subsidised drugs from Jan Aushadi Kendras,” said the dismayed doctor.
A senior health department official said BBMP recently held a meeting to address this issue. “Meanwhile, the health department’s tender process for procuring drugs is under way. Part of the drugs will go to BBMP too,” the official added.
Suralkar Vikas Kishor, in-charge special commissioner (health & family welfare), BBMP said that drugs are purchased by health department’s Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation (KSMSC) Limited.
“Namma Clinics were not given the option to raise indents on the Aushadha software and urban PHCs would do it in their stead. But now Namma Clinics have been enrolled and will be able raise indents on their own,” he added.
Besides, KSMSC and BBMP have not got bids for all drugs. “To overcome this, a stopgap mechanism is being worked on. When Namma Clinics do not get the necessary drugs, local administrative officers of the parent PHCs will be empowered to purchase the drugs when needed using contingency grants before the bulk stocks arrive. The upper limit for how much they will be allowed to purchase is yet to be decided by the BBMP chief commissioner,” said Kishor.
Confirming this, a friend of his who served at another Namma Clinic, said that drugs came in just once during the few months he worked there and added that sometimes, the drugs were procured from the clinic’s parent Primary Health Centre (PHC).
“I’ve had diabetes and hypertensive patients not returning as drugs are not being provided. They are then asked to purchase subsidised drugs from Jan Aushadi Kendras,” said the dismayed doctor.
A senior health department official said BBMP recently held a meeting to address this issue. “Meanwhile, the health department’s tender process for procuring drugs is under way. Part of the drugs will go to BBMP too,” the official added.
Suralkar Vikas Kishor, in-charge special commissioner (health & family welfare), BBMP said that drugs are purchased by health department’s Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation (KSMSC) Limited.
“Namma Clinics were not given the option to raise indents on the Aushadha software and urban PHCs would do it in their stead. But now Namma Clinics have been enrolled and will be able raise indents on their own,” he added.
Besides, KSMSC and BBMP have not got bids for all drugs. “To overcome this, a stopgap mechanism is being worked on. When Namma Clinics do not get the necessary drugs, local administrative officers of the parent PHCs will be empowered to purchase the drugs when needed using contingency grants before the bulk stocks arrive. The upper limit for how much they will be allowed to purchase is yet to be decided by the BBMP chief commissioner,” said Kishor.