Hospital faulted for not having drug review meetings

By Dilanthi Jayamanne

The Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital has been instructed to recommence drug review meetings which were not conducted for the past seven years to overcome the recurring drug shortage in the hospital.

The spokesman for the Health Ministry said yesterday that the hospital had failed to conduct its monthly drug review meetings (DRM) causing the hospital to carry out local purchasing of drugs.

The spokesman said that last year’s expenditure incurred through local purchasing had cost over 300 percent of the hospital’s drug budget. He said monthly DRMs were held in every hospital with the participation of the hospital chief, consultants, medical officers and hospital pharmacists. As DRMs were not held at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, pharmacists were forced to use the drug list prepared seven years before and estimate the drug requirement, he said.

Additional Health Secretary, Dr. Palitha Mahipala who was a part of the Ministerial team that visited the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital to inquire into the problem, issued instructions for recommencing monthly DRMs. A three member committee from the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) was appointed by him to sit at these meetings. The three would be held responsible for future drug needs of the hospitals should a dearth occur, he said.

The spokesman said that in addition to treating patients of the North Central province, the ‘Deyata Kirula,’ exhibition would draw large crowds from all parts of the country to Anuradhapura next month and the hospital would have to be equipped to face it.

He said that the hospital authorities had been advised to purchase drugs from the ‘Rajya Osusala in Anuradhapura and not from private pharmacies. The Anuradhapura Osusala manager too had been warned that he would be sent on compulsory leave if he failed to provide the hospital with necessary drugs when required.

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