Patients visiting government hospitals in the district are forced to wait for long to get medicines from medical stores as there aren’t enough pharmacists on the job.
For example, at the Government General Hospital, Kozhikode, which records a footfall of around 2,000 patients a day, there are only seven posts of pharmacists.
According to Abdul Jaleel T.C., district president of the Kerala Government Pharmacists’ Association, there should be at least 15 pharmacists at the hospital, working in two shifts between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
He pointed out that the ratio of patients to pharmacists should be 150:1.
Taluk hospitals
At the taluk hospitals at Thamarassery, Balussery, Feroke and Kuttiyadi, there are only two pharmacists to attend around 1,500 patients a day. At Nadapuram and Perambra taluk hospitals, there is only one pharmacist. Mr. Jaleel said the pharmacists were also supposed to collect and keep medicines and surgical equipment and keep an account of their use.
Taluk hospitals should have at least four pharmacists and the posts of store superintendent and storekeepers.
At the district government hospital, Vadakara, which handles around 2,000 patients a day, there are only four pharmacists though there should be at least eight posts.
The condition at community health centres (CHC) is not different. There is only one pharmacist’s post at the 15 CHCs in the district which attend to 500 patients a day.
The association functionaries pointed out that patients had to stand in queue for medicines for many hours even after completing their consultation.
More patients
With the cost of treatment at private hospitals going up, members of middle class families were also approaching government hospitals. The number of patients was increasing too. Because of the crowded atmosphere, many patients were not even able to communicate properly with the pharmacists on the use of medicines, added Mr. Jaleel.
