Visuals from a warehouse belonging to Jaunpur's health department are raising uncomfortable questions, showing large stocks of medicines lying around in a disorganised state, many of them already past their expiry date, even as patients in the district continue to complain about not getting medicines at government hospitals.
Medicines rot in storage while patients go without
Residents allege that medicines meant to reach poor and needy patients on time never made it out of the warehouse and expired while still sitting on the shelves. According to locals, these medicines, bought with public money, were neither stored properly nor distributed on schedule, leaving patients who cannot afford costly medicines from the open market to bear the consequences. The episode has raised an obvious question: had the distribution and storage system worked properly, would this quantity of medicine have gone to waste at all, and who exactly should be held accountable for it? Some residents also point out that this is not a one time lapse, and that similar complaints about erratic supply have surfaced from the district before, without any lasting fix.
CMO says he only learned of it through a video
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gangaram Gautam responded to questions on the matter, admitting that it had come to his attention only recently, after he came across a video showing the state of the warehouse. He assured that the entire matter would be investigated and steps would be taken to ensure medicines are stored in an organised manner going forward.
Who is responsible for the warehouse, notices to be issued
Asked who is answerable for the state of the warehouse, the CMO said that the store falls under the charge of the ACMO and the Chief Pharmacist. He said both officials would be asked to explain themselves, and notices would be issued questioning why such a situation was allowed to develop in the first place.
CMO claims no shortage at CHCs and PHCs
Questioned on how patients could be struggling for medicines even as stock expires unused in storage, the CMO rejected the suggestion outright. He explained that medicines sometimes arrive with a short shelf life remaining, which causes a portion of the stock to expire before it can be used. He further claimed that every CHC, PHC and other health centre in the district is adequately stocked and that there is no shortage of medicine anywhere in the district. Yet the photographs from the warehouse leave that claim open to question. If supplies were truly sufficient, why were they left sitting in storage until they expired, was the supply chain simply too slow, or did the monitoring system break down altogether? The issue, at its core, is not confined to negligence alone, it touches on the waste of public funds and on the right of poor patients to receive the treatment they are owed.
Action promised within a week, residents wait for results
Dr. Gangaram Gautam said an inquiry into the entire episode would be conducted and that concrete action would be visible within a week. Residents of the district are now watching closely to see whether officials found responsible actually face consequences once the inquiry concludes, or whether the matter, like several before it, ends up as nothing more than another assurance.
