Each Pharmacist deals with nearly 900 patients per day on an average
Mohammed Sajid & Sourab Ch. Das
Port Blair, Oct 20: The G B Pant Hospital, Administration’s lone referral hospital, is witnessing rapid growth. The Hospital is growing in terms of increasing number of equipments, beds, facilities, doctors and also patients. Despite mushrooming of private hospitals and clinics in Port Blair city, the number patients in G B Pant Hospital are increasing every day.
Thousands of patients visit OPD section of G B Pant Hospital to see doctors and after that all these patients land up infront of the lone Pharmacy Counter, which is the toughest part for all patients and their attenders.
Everyday one can see thousands of patients making beeline infornt the Pharmacy counters (One each for gents, ladies, Senior Citizens etc) for hours and hours to make entries in registers and then again for nearly another hour to take medicines.
Patients who come all alone to the hospital are the worst suffers and the long queues, first infront of reception counter for Slips, Secondly infornt of Doctors’ chamber for seeing a doctor, thirdly infront of laboratories for various tests, fourthly for entries in Pharmacy unit and lastly for getting medicines, make the situation worse for them.
Pharmacists working inside the Pharmacy unit are also equally troubled as on an average one Pharmacist has to attend more than 900 patients a day.
Adding the problems now the Directorate of Health Services has released a list containing six names of Pharmacists, directing them to work in Campbell Bay for one month on rotational basis. Shortage of Pharmacists is said to be the reason behind this order.
Two Regular pharmacists have been posted in DHS office as Drug Inspectors. Often with VVIPs one Pharmacist is sent on duty and one Pharmacist is posted in night shift, which further puts the pressure on the OPD Pharmacy unit.
Due to shortage of Pharmacists opening of another Pharmacy Counter has become impossible, which means that in coming future too, Islanders will have to suffer horribly, while getting medicines from GB Pant Hospital’s OPD block.
When Andaman Sheekha contacted Dr. B.G.Lal, Medical Superintendent of G B Pant Hospital regarding in this matter, he said that, when the hospital was constructed at that time the population of these Islands was less.
“From that period there is sharp increase in population, which was not expected by the concerned authorities before the construction of the G.B.Pant Hospital,” Dr. Lal said.
The Medical Superintendent accepted that with only counter for female and one for male it has now become too much difficult to deal with such a large number of patients.
“We are now planning to open two more pharmacy counters, one each for gents and ladies. Within this week we are going to start these counters,” the MS said.
Meanwhile he added that a proposal has been send to administration for hiring four to six pharmacists on contract basis to deal with shortage of Pharmacists.
Hope these words are kept and more counters are opened for Ladies, Gents as well as Senior Citizens.
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