Mismanaged' medical store shut down

Residents of Tripunithura are being forced to depend on the service of private medical stores, as the Janakeeya medical store (JMS) at the Taluk Hospital has been closed since the last one month.

According to sources at the hospital, members of the Hospital Management Committee and the staff in the medical store have been misusing the medical store, which led to its closure.

“More than Rs 2 lakh worth medicines are illegally supplied to the private medical stores every month. Proper records about the stock of the medicines are not kept by the staff at the medical store. Moreover the required medicines are not made available at the store. The manager in the medical store is responsible for keeping the records. Also the bill that has to be submitted to the hospital to receive funds has not been submitted.” the hospital authority said.



The AIYF district president T M Haris, who led the agitation against the mismanagement of medical store in the Taluk Hospital, alleged that the medical store was closed in order to help the private medical stores in the area. “There is a situation now where patients are directed to the private medical store instead of the Janakeeya Medical Store which is distributing medicines economically. It is evident that the they have taken bribe from the private medical store for closing down the JMS. The hospital also lacks doctors and ambulance service. The municipal authorities turned a blind eye against the mismangement in the hospital as they are major beneficiaries,” he said. 

Tripunithura Health Standing Committee Chairman, T K Suresh, said that they are trying to sort out the problems between the hospital and Janakeeya Medical Store. “The medical store will reopened by August 15 after completing the physical stock verification. We have already renovated the hospital and more facilities will be introduced. Further changes will happen after the meeting of the Hospital Management Committee,” he said.