April 8, 2002	Monday	Muharram 24, 1423

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MULTAN, April 7: Most health care administrators in the Punjab have adopted a novel way to make up for the shortage of medicines in their respective hospitals during inspection by VIPs.

Immediately after assumption of charge, Punjab Governor Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool (retired) had frequently been visiting various health facilities in the Punjab.

Confronting frequent complaints of medicines’ shortage, the governor had, during his initial visits, ordered the authorities concerned to make up for the shortage. Consequently, the availability of medicines was ensured in every health centre.

However, the provincial health department could not make any ‘meaningful’ procurement with 83 days left in the 2001-2002 fiscal.

Sources in the health department said that hardly 10 per cent of the budgetary allocation for the procurement of medicines in the Punjab could be utilized by the end of March.

It was learnt that the administrators of the district headquarters and other hospitals had, during the recent visit of the governor, borrowed medicines from non-government organizations and from the left-over stocks of BHUs and RHCs.The medicines were, later, sent back to the outlets.

When contacted, the medical superintendent of a hospital told this scribe that ‘we have learnt the art of running hospitals without medicines throughout the year’.

A senior health department official suggested that the high-ups should examine the medicines during their visits to ensure these were stamped by the hospital, which is mandatory.