Audit Reveals PGIMER's Heavy Reliance on Private Chemists Despite AMRIT Pharmacies
Despite presence of AMRIT, Jan Aushadhi centres PGIMER procured 66% medicines from pvt chemists:Audit
Hindustan Times
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An audit has revealed that the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) procured 66% of its medicines from private chemists in 2024-25, despite having AMRIT and Jan Aushadhi centres. This marks a significant drop from previous years, raising concerns over the effectiveness of government-supported pharmacies.
- 01PGIMER's procurement from AMRIT and Jan Aushadhi centres fell to 34.6% in 2024-25, despite a total procurement increase to ₹8.85 crore.
- 02The institute's procurement policy prioritizes Jan Aushadhi centres and AMRIT pharmacies, but 66% of purchases were made from private chemists.
- 03AMRIT pharmacies were reportedly unable to meet demand due to stock shortages, according to PGIMER's response to the audit.
- 04The audit criticized PGIMER's reliance on private chemists, stating that AMRIT pharmacies are meant to provide medicines at lower prices.
- 05Despite having 14 AMRIT pharmacies, only 2.59% to 6.53% of medicines were supplied by Jan Aushadhi centres during the audit period.
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An audit by the Indian Audit and Accounts Department has revealed that the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) procured 66% of its medicines from private chemists in the fiscal year 2024-25, despite having a significant network of AMRIT pharmacies and Jan Aushadhi centres. This represents a dramatic decline in procurement from these government-supported pharmacies, which accounted for 90% of purchases in the previous year. The total procurement for 2024-25 reached ₹8.85 crore, the highest in the four-year audit period. The audit highlighted that PGIMER's procurement policy prioritizes Jan Aushadhi centres and AMRIT pharmacies, with private chemists as a last resort. However, PGIMER attributed its reliance on private chemists to stock shortages at AMRIT and Jan Aushadhi centres. The audit rejected this explanation, emphasizing that AMRIT pharmacies are intended to offer medicines at competitive prices. Despite having 14 AMRIT pharmacies, the contribution of Jan Aushadhi centres to PGIMER's medicine supply was minimal, ranging from 2.59% to 6.53% during the audit period.
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The reliance on private chemists for medicine procurement could lead to increased healthcare costs for patients who rely on PGIMER's services.
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