SRINAGAR: There is a shortage of essential prescribed medicine for the treatment of drug victims in Srinagar city, according to reliable sources. Drug victims who are either admitted to de-addiction centres or being taken care of by their families are finding it hard to obtain the prescribed medicine.
Official sources said that last month, District Magistrate Srinagar Aijaz Asadh stressed on ensuring the availability of medicines to drug-affected patients at authorized medical stores, on proper prescription duly signed and sealed by the concerned doctor, during a meeting he presided over.
The health officials present at the meeting admitted that there is a non-availability of the prescribed essential medicine for the treatment of drug victims at medical stores.
One chemist candidly admitted that he does not keep medicine given to drug victims at his shop. He explained, “I don’t want to put myself in trouble. You know there are clear-cut directions from the top that medical stores must maintain the proper register or database of sold medicine, and the Drug Control Department would audit the prescriptions at medical stores. During the audit, officials repeatedly ask questions about the sale of such drugs, so to avoid the problem, we don’t keep such drugs.”
It is worth noting that the Drug Control Department has been instructed to cancel the registration of those chemists who violate the laid-down guidelines under the Drugs & Cosmetic Act. [KNT]
