Rural dispensaries' budget not revised for 16 yrs
Manav Mander
Ludhiana, April 15
It’s been 16 years since the revision in budgetary allocation for medicines in rural dispensaries. Every month, medicines worth Rs 7,500 are given to each dispensary falling under the jurisdiction of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat.
Rs. 7,500 allocated every month
The monthly allocation of Rs. 7,500 for medicines is insufficient as one dispensary sometimes caters to around two to three villages. The allocation must be revised to Rs. 12,000-Rs. 15,000. — Dr JP Narula, President, Rural medical services association, Punjab
There are 560 dispensaries under the department.
With inflation galloping, Rs 7,500 is a meagre amount to provide patients with basic healthcare infrastructure in villages.
During the peak of Covid pandemic, no medicines were supplied to dispensaries as medical officers were deployed at Covid centres. Now that medical officers have returned to their places of posting, medicines are being supplied again, but the quality and quantity leave much to be desired.
In 2006, rural dispensaries were shifted under the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats. There has been no revision in the budgetary allocation since.
Dr JP Narula, president, Rural Medical Services Association, Punjab, said previous government always ignored rural dispensaries.
“The monthly allocation of Rs 7,500 for medicines is insufficient as one dispensary sometimes caters to two to three villages. The allocation must be revised to Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000,” he said.
The unavailability of medicines at dispensaries forces rural population to approach uncertified private medical practitioners. “With summers approaching, dengue,
malaria and gastroenteritis will surface. Dispensaries lack enough antibiotics,” Dr Narula added.
Rural medical officer from Samrala said the supply of medicines needed to be enhanced.
Meanwhile, Ajiab Singh from a village near Machhiwara said, “Sometimes government doctors ask villagers to buy medicines from outside the dispensary. If things have come to such a pass, what is the use of a dispensary. Villagers prefer a private doctor to a dispensary.”
