STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Health Department on Friday ordered sealing of five fair-price chemist shops being run in the State run hospitals over allegation of overcharging.
“We had received complaints of overcharging on medicines and surgical items being sold by fixed priced shops in the State run health institutions, including the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu”, an official said.
He said that five shops have been sealed and added, “On the directions of the Health Minister Bali Bhagat, immediate action was taken”.
The official further said that shops, Sanyog Pharmacy at Government Medical Hospital, Jammu, Super Specialty Hospital (SSH), Jammu, Chest Disease Hospital (CD) Hospital, Jammu, Sri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, Jammu and Civil Hospital Gandhi Nagar have been closed.
“Directions have also been issued to the Drugs and Food Control Organisation J&K to ensure that the shops should display the MRP of all medicines along with discounted rates outside the shops”, said an official.
“There were complaints of overcharging, as stock with company had inflated MRPs which even after passing on the discount were still costly from the medicines being sold in the open market”, sources added.
The Minister said, “We will ensure that the benefit of discount reaches each and every patient”.
Sanyog Enterprises for the past few years has been running fixed priced shops in the Jammu based government hospitals and also in the other health institutions across the region, offering patients discounts ranging from 15 to 40 per cent.
Talking to STATE TIMES, Health Minister Bali Bhagat said, “These outlets were charging extra price for the medicines. I have ordered to seal these shops. Strict action will be taken against other outlets also, if they cheat the customers.”
The minister said “All the chemists have to display the prices of the medicines at their shops with discount”.