Procurement of Rs 108 Cr medicines in 5 years;CAG indicts GMCs, J&K hospitals for not maintaining utilisation records

VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) of Jammu and Srinagar besides various other hospitals in the State have come under scanner for not having maintained utilization records of medicines worth Rs 108 crores, procured during the past five years.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its audit report has revealed that records to identity end-user patient to whom the medicines were issued had not been maintained in any test-checked health institution, in absence of which it could not be ascertained as to whether the medicines/drugs had actually been received by the patients visiting these Health institutions.
The CAG report further stated that in view of the fact that none of the test checked health institutions from the level of Government Medical College Hospitals down upto PHCs had maintained any verifiable end-user medicine distribution and consumption records, distribution of drugs/medicines and other consumables worth Rs. 108.53 crore purchased by these units during the period 2010-11 to 2014-15 to the patients, could not be vouchsafed in Audit.
According to CAG report, the Medical Superintendents/Block Medical Officers in their replies have stated that no verifiable end-user records were maintained due to lack of adequate manpower in IPD/OPD wing of the hospitals. The Principal GMC Jammu and DHS, Jammu replied that the instructions had been noted and measures would be adopted to formulate a policy for making proper records of end-users.
Meanwhile, supplies ordered by the purchase section are received in the Central Stores of the hospitals and are entered in the consignment register and subsequently in the stock registers and sub-stocks of the stores for further issue to end-users.
Test-check of store records of the sampled health institutions showed that no such details had been recorded in main stock register at the Central Stores, indents and sub-stores. In absence of these details, Audit team could not analyse the system of issue of stocks of medicines from the stores in any of the test checked units as the system to be adopted should follow the FIFO (First-in-First-out) pattern to ensure that the drugs/medicines with shorter shelf life are consumed first. This also ensures identification of the drug/medicines in the event of any drug/medicine being declared sub-standard.
Principal GMC and DHS, Jammu replied that instruction of audit had been noted and would be forwarded to Medical Officer Stores for immediate compliance.