Poor storage, slow transport facilities leading to drug shortage at SMS hospital

Jaipur: Despite patients grappling with a shortage of medicines at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, officials claim that the shortage is because of delay in transportation and storage inadequacies at the hospital's sub-store.

The sub-drug store at SMS Hospital failed to receive medicines from the medical college drug warehouse (MCDW), as per the voucher dated April 25, 2024, until May 1.

Although the medicines were prepared for transportation, they remained stagnant at the MCDW for five days without reaching SMS Hospital.

Among these medications were fast-moving drugs, indicating their higher consumption rate compared to others.

A report from the inspection conducted by Neha Giri, managing director of Rajasthan Medical Relief Society, highlighted significant shortcomings in medicine storage and record-keeping, along with the absence of consumption patterns and improper transportation at SMS Hospital.

The report mentioned the delay in receiving medicines from MCDW, with officials citing a shortage of vehicles for transportation from MCDW to SMS Hospital's sub-store, from where drugs are distributed to the hospital's counters for patient availability.

Giri requested details of the medicines issued by MCDW but unavailable at SMS Hospital. Issued on Friday, the inspection report from May 1 revealed that intravenous fluids, vital for patient care, were stored openly at the hospital's drug sub-store. Giri instructed officials to ensure proper temperature control during storage. Despite the availability of space mentioned by the medicine officer during the inspection, IV fluids were collected daily from MCDW for distribution to the hospital's counters.

During the SMS Hospital inspection, Giri noted near-expiry medicines stored without proper monitoring. Naloxone, expiring in June 2024, was found alongside other medicines, prompting Giri to emphasise separate storage for near-expiry medications. Etoposide injections, used in cancer treatment and expiring in June, were also stored at the sub-store.

Giri directed officials to supply them to the state cancer institute where they are in higher demand. She stressed adherence to guidelines for the proper storage of near-expiry medicines.

The condition of SMS Hospital's drug sub-store was deemed unfit due to wall seepage, though officials reported multiple requests to the Public Works Department (PWD) for repairs with no action taken.

Giri expressed frustration over poor medication cataloging and failure to generate medicine consumption patterns through the Integrated Hospital Management System.

The report also highlighted the unavailability of 100 fast-moving drugs from the rate contract at the Lifeline Medicare drug store, prompting Giri to issue directives to address the matter promptly.