New Delhi: A shortage of 51 essential medicines was reported at Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital (JSSH), a Delhi government-run facility. As per a media report, the hospital pharmacy had issued a list dated June 30 confirming that many important drugs are currently unavailable.
These included medicines like acetylsalicylic acid (used to prevent heart attacks), amiodarone (for irregular heartbeat), levodopa-carbidopa (for Parkinson’s), insulin lispro (for diabetes), amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (antibiotic), levothyroxine, pantoprazole, even ORS powder, and more.
A senior doctor quoted in the media report said that some of these drugs are critical for emergency care, and their unavailability can impact patient treatment.
Hospital authorities have not issued an official statement about the disruption or specified when normal supply would resume, despite repeated attempts to contact them, the report said.
On visiting the hospital on Thursday, Millennium Post found that the staff was not ready to speak openly on the matter. At the pharmacy, the staff asked this reporter to contact a senior official. Two doctors refused to comment, saying they were not aware of the situation and advised speaking to someone senior. In the emergency ward, hospital staff said no doctor was available at the time who could respond.
However, one senior official, who did not wish to be named, said, “There is no such serious emergency shortage. These things keep happening, medicines get over and new stock comes in. This process continues. We don’t want our patients to face any difficulty.”
She added that a Jan Aushadhi Kendra will soon open at the hospital, where medicines will be available at lower prices compared to outside pharmacies.
When asked about the availability of specific medicines from the list mentioned in media reports, a store staff member said that new stock is arriving, and at least one of the listed medicines was already available.
A person accompanying a patient said, “We have to buy medicines from outside, though I don’t remember the name of the one I bought.”
Another attendant showed a list of three medicines — Aspirin 75 mg, Axcer 90 mg, and Envas 2.5 mg, which he said were not available at the hospital. “These are important medicines. But we had to buy them from outside at high prices. Only the cheap ones are available in the hospital; the rest we need to buy from outside,” he said.