The Andhra Pradesh Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) has detected large scale diversion of ‘Not for sale drugs and surgical items’ to open markets from primary health centres (PHCs) in the state.

In a massive drive carried out by APMSIDC to assess the supply and utilization of medicines and surgical items by the PHCs in the state, the corporation has come across during March to May 2013, large quantities of  medicines and surgical instruments were acquired by the PHCs in all the 23 districts of the state when there is no actual demand for the same.

This made officials of APMSIDC suspicious and on further investigation it was found that there is a regular illegal movement of government supplied drugs and medical items to open market.

Moreover the PHCs in the districts have no proper accounts maintained and there is a clear lack of transparency and accountability as to whom these medicines are administered and where they are disappearing from the stocks.

Having learned this, the APMSIDC has come to a conclusion that the drugs and medical equipments supplied by the government are getting diverted  into the open market. With regard to this the corporation has written to all the district collectors pointing out the anomalies of the erring PHC in the state.

According to sources from APMSIDC, the districts of Ananthapur, Medak and Chittor have lifted more medical supplies from the government stocks than they actually required. Surgical instruments like bandages, disposable gloves, and catheters have also been taken in larger quantities than required.

In view of discrepancies, the collectors of all the districts have been asked to check on the actual use of these medicines at the ground level. “We have found some discrepancies and are pursuing them with the district collectors. There is a need to maintain a proper stock register of medicines taken from central medicine stores. Presently the out-patient and in-patient records in PHCs are not maintained properly,” informed, Ravi Chandra, managing director of APMSIDC.

While going into the details of lifting of excess medical supplies by some PHCs, it was found that primary health centre in Goulipura in Hyderabad district acquired 100,000 paracetomal tablets whereas other PHCs in the state acquired only 20,000 tablets. Similarly, 12,000 to 15,000 vials of antiserum injections for snake bites were procured by Goulipura PHC when the requirement is only around 10,000 vials.

Huzurabad, Jagityal and Yellareddypeta PHCs in Karimnagar used 70 boxes of snake venom anti-serum injection, 8000 sets of intravenous sets and 20 sets of Heparin sodium injection respectively from March to May 2013.

Kothurur and Nandigam PHCs in Srikakulam used 142 boxes of snake venom antiserum injection and 235 tans of Medical bandage cloths. Jeelugumilli PHC in west Godavari consumed 30,000 vials of aluminium hydroxide+magnesium hydroxide from March to May 2013.

Excess procurement of antibiotics, injections and surgical instruments by PHCs has prompted the corporation to take a closer look into their functioning. The officials of the APMSIDC are of the view that most of these PHCs have used excess medicines in just three months which would have been used for the entire year if proper accountability is maintained.

Currently there are 1700 PHCs in the state and most of them have no qualified medical staff to supervise the use of drugs.