Government hospitals in Hyderabad are facing a shortage of medicines. This shortage is causing problems for patients, who are either being given fewer doses of their prescribed medications or are asked to return on another day to collect them. The situation is worsened by a surge in the number of patients suffering from viral fevers such as dengue and chikungunya.
At Osmania Hospital, long lines of patients and their attendants are a common sight. Many patients have complained that while doctors prescribe four to five types of medicines, the hospital pharmacy often only has two or three in stock. One patient, Karunakar, who came from Jiyaguda, shared his experience. He said he was only given two out of the five medications prescribed to him. “We can’t argue with them. They just tell us these are the medicines they have and ask us to either come back in a few days or buy them from outside,” Karunakar said.
A similar situation is unfolding at NIMS, another major hospital in the city. Important medicines are frequently unavailable, and doctors often suggest that patients buy them from external pharmacies. According to reports, 36 types of emergency medicines are currently out of stock across several hospitals. The shortage also affects wellness centers in Hyderabad. For example, at a wellness center in Khairatabad, essential medications are unavailable. A heart patient mentioned that he was told to take two doses of a different medication because the one he needed was not in stock. Kishore Singh, another patient, emphasized the importance of heart patients getting the exact medicines prescribed by their doctors.
To tackle these shortages, the government has announced plans to set up 21 new Central Medicine Stores (CMS) in various districts. A senior official mentioned that the goal is to have at least one CMS in every district to help address the issue of medicine shortages across hospitals.
