The Chennai-based multi-speciality NGO hospital & research institute, Voluntary Health Services (VHS), which was operating a drug dispensing facility until 2011, will revive its own pharmacy and will soon be converted into a modern pharmacy making available all kinds of drugs, said Dr S Suresh, secretary of the VHS.

Dismissing allegations that VHS has stopped the operation of its own pharmacy and entered into partnership agreement with private institutions for the service of pharmacy, Dr Suresh clarified that the NGO hospital did not have any pharmacy, but had a drug dispensing centre supplying a few categories of generic drugs. However, he added that there was a private pharmacy at the VHS, Guna Pharmacy, functioning at the hospital from its inception and it was replaced by MedPlus.

He said MedPlus is now running on loss due to the discounts being given to the patients on all drugs, but is continuing to function on the pressure of the management. Until a well equipped pharmacy is set up by VHS, MedPlus will provide the services without any change.

“To establish one pharmacy, we have to comply so many conditions of the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act. It requires huge amount of money also. That was why private pharmacies were assigned to function at the hospital from the beginning. This is a charity organisation working not for profit. But we want changes in every field for the best quality. Together with the improvements and alterations in the whole system, a new pharmacy will also be established at the hospital,” Dr Suresh said.

Regarding the three para-medical courses, Diploma in Medical Lab Technology, Diploma in Hospital Administration and Diploma in Diet & Nutrition, which were conducted there till two years ago, the secretary replied that the institute would reconsider it.

When asked about the recent revision of room charges for ICU, he said VHS is collecting only 10 to 15 per cent of the amount charged by private hospitals anywhere. But in the case of poor patients, no fee is charged for ICU. The operational cost is higher than what was before. VHS is now incurring a financial loss of about Rs.2.5 crore per year.

From December 4, 2012 the hospital has increased the ICU charges (non ventilator) per day from Rs.2500 to 3500 for low income group and from Rs.3500 to Rs.5000 for high income group. For ventilator, the amount has gone up to Rs.6000 from Rs.4000 for the LIG and to Rs.8000 from Rs.6000 for the HIG. The advance amount has also been increased. Patients registered with VHS come under four categories, free income group, low income group, medium income group and high income group.

To another allegation that VHS was commercialising the Lab facility by handing over it to MedAll Healthcare Pvt Ltd, he said MedAll is collecting only 20 per cent of the actual rate of CT scan from the free income group and 35 per cent from the LIG and 50 per cent from the MIG. It is more or less similar to what is collected by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation’s CT scan unit at the general hospital in Chennai. For a CT scan the rate comes around Rs.2500 to 3000 in the private centres. He further said no amount is charged from the staffs of the hospital and only 25 per cent is collected from their dependents.