Nearly 49% Pharmacist Posts Vacant in Haryana Govt Hospitals, Patient Safety at Risk

New Delhi: Patients' safety in Haryana's government hospitals is facing a serious risk as the state grapples with an acute shortage of pharmacists, with 568 of the 1163 sanctioned posts currently vacant, triggering concerns over the safe dispensing of doctor-prescribed medicines.

As a result of these vacancies, medicine distribution in several hospitals is being handled by trainees, Class IV employees, or staff nurses, many of whom lack adequate knowledge about drug salts, alternatives, dosages, or potential side effects. Health experts warn that this situation amounts to playing with patients’ lives.

According to media reports by Amar Ujala, the situation is especially grim in major districts such as Karnal, Sirsa and Ambala. At several Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs), medicines are reportedly being dispensed in the absence of registered pharmacists. With pharmacists retiring regularly and fresh recruitments failing to keep pace, the staffing gap continues to widen, further aggravating the crisis.

Under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, no person other than a registered pharmacist is permitted to prepare, compound, or dispense medicines against a medical practitioner’s prescription.

The shortage of pharmacists is also affecting drug storage, procurement, vaccine cold-chain maintenance, and other technical responsibilities. All these systems are meant to ensure the availability of affordable and quality medicines to patients, but the lack of qualified personnel is undermining this objective.

A pharmacist's responsibilities include explaining to patients how and when to take their medicines, providing written instructions, informing patients about possible side effects, helping patients understand their medicines, explaining how the prescribed drugs work in the body, Demand placed before the Chief Minister.

Jagdeep Singh, State President of the Association of Government Pharmacists of Haryana, said the acute shortage has increased the workload on existing pharmacists. He added that several representations have been submitted to the government and senior officials, but no meaningful improvement has followed, Amar Ujala reported.

According to him, pharmacists are retiring, but new appointments are not being made. He said that on Tuesday, January 13, a delegation met Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to apprise him of the situation and urged that the vacant posts be filled at the earliest.

District-wise vacancy position