Maha Govt Hospitals to provide all necessary medicines: Medical Education Minister

Mumbai: Patients at state-run government hospitals in Maharashtra will be provided with all necessary medicines and will not be required to purchase them from outside, Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif said on Wednesday.

Responding to a question raised by MLA Vilas Bhumare in the State Assembly, Mushrif said action would be taken against the superintendent of the concerned hospital if any patient is compelled to buy medicines from outside. 

The minister said the government's objective is to provide quality and uninterrupted healthcare services to every patient visiting government medical hospitals, reports ANI. 

He added that adequate availability of medicines would be ensured in hospitals so that patients do not face inconvenience in accessing treatment.

Mushrif also said the state government plans to seek the assistance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the future to provide better and safer healthcare services to people at government hospitals.

Earlier in June, the minister directed officials to prepare a detailed proposal for the effective utilisation of surplus plasma available in the state for manufacturing life-saving medicines and improving access to affordable treatment.

A review meeting of the Medical Education Department was held at Mantralaya under the chairmanship of Minister Mushrif, which was attended by Medical Education and Drugs Department Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, Commissioner Anil Bhandari, and other senior officials.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the large quantity of excess plasma available in blood banks across Maharashtra. Officials informed that the state has around 450 blood banks, of which 79 are government-run, while the remaining are operated by private and voluntary organisations. It was further informed that while the government sector currently has about 25,000 litres of surplus plasma, the private sector holds more than 3,00,000 litres. 

The meeting also deliberated on utilising this surplus plasma for manufacturing medicines used in the treatment of haemophilia, thalassaemia, and other serious diseases. Minister Mushrif directed officials to prepare a comprehensive proposal in this regard and initiate further action.