Only few medicines under NRHM available in Punjab: Chaudhary

Claiming that as many as 159 medicines are made available to states by the Centre under NRHM, Union minister of state for Health and Family Welfare Santosh Chaudhary today alleged only a handful of them were available in government hospitals of Punjab.
"Patients are finding it hard to get free medicines and are made to cough hefty sums and purchase them from outside at exorbitant rates," she told reporters here.
Rs 400 crore central grant given under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) remained unspent in Punjab, she alleged and asked the state government to ensure availability of all these free medicines in state-run hospitals.

During her visit to civil hospital Phillaur yesterday, she claimed that only 32 medicines were found available in stock.
"I was told that other medicines were out of stock for the past two months," she said.
"During my interaction with patients, I was told that they just got a prescription slip for Rs 5 from the hospital and had to purchase medicines from outside," Chaudhary said.
She claimed to have found the hospital in Sultanpur Lodhi in similar state of affairs during her visit.
The minister said names of medicines should be written on display boards at all government hospitals.