Keralam govt. directs KMSCL to expedite medicine purchase orders
The Kerala government has ordered the Kerala Medical Services Corporation to urgently address a severe shortage of essential medicines. The crisis stems from delays in the annual procurement and re-tendering process, forcing the state to explore emergency supply options.
Why it matters
Public health infrastructure is currently compromised, impacting the availability of critical drugs during an active epidemic season.
The government has directed Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) to convene an emergency board meeting and take necessary steps to complete the processing of necessary medicine purchase orders immediately.
If necessary, the agency should get in touch with the State medical corporations of Tamil Nadu or Rajasthan and explore the possibilities of procuring medicines from these bodies to tide over the shortage in the State, the KMSCL was told.
The directives were given at a meeting convened by Health Minister K. Muraleedharan on Tuesday, after reports of medicine shortage, including that of several basic drugs, antibiotics, and rabies vaccine, from periphery hospitals to tertiary care centres were beginning to beleaguer the government, especially since the epidemic season continues to log infectious diseases in large numbers daily.
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