Taxpayer money cannot be wasted: Calcutta HC takes up issue of medicinal wastage after news of Rs 1 crore worth apprehended wastage of medicines

The Calcutta High Court has asked the State to furnish information on the money spent on medicines in the last five years in hospitals and medical colleges and the amount of such medicines that had to be wasted as they could not be used before their expiration date (Court on its own motion v. State of West Bengal and others; Re: Mismanagement and Wastage of Medicines in Government Hospitals).The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee passed the order after the Court took suo motu cognisance of a news report carried by the daily Hindi newspaper ‘Sanmarg.’.The said report highlighted that there were apprehensions that about Rs 1 crore worth of medicines lying at Beliaghata ID hospital without use may go to waste on account of getting expired without any patients needing them. .Taking a serious view of the same, the Bench emphasised that there should be a proper mechanism in place to keep a check on wasteful expenditure when it comes to the purchase of medicines in different hospitals and medical colleges..In this regard, the Court also sought the State's response on whether it has any software in place to monitor the purchase, supply and use of medicines in different hospitals of West Bengal to check on unnecessary purchase or wastage of medicines. ."The entire system has to be maintained with the help of information and technology, the era in which we are living. One needs to keep in mind that taxpayers’ money of which the State is a trustee cannot be allowed to be wasted like this. The government has to plan to save the money also wherever possible. The entire mind and energy should not be used for framing the schemes to make the voters happy. This Court be also apprised of the fact as to whether all the hospitals in the State are computerized and connected to a network or not", the Court added in its order..The issue and the news report was brought to the notice of the Acting Chief Justice by Justice Shivakant Prasad. .Relying on the report, Justice Prasad pointed out that the State appears to be simply publishing a list of such medicines on the Health Department's website, instead of taking more proactive steps to allocate these medicines to other hospitals in need. .If the matter is not looked into, then it is going to be a"wastage which is sheer loss to public exchequer", while patients in other hospitals go without medicines and injections, Justice Prasad had stated. .The problem is rooted in the lack of timely intervention or proper management and distribution of medicines and injections by the State's Health Department, Justice Prasad had added. .He elaborated that while the Health Department is aware of such medicines lying idle in a single hospital, proper steps are not taken in a timely manner to distribute these medicines to other hospitals requiring the same. In this regard, he explained that if there is delay in redistributing the medicines, other hospitals are not likely to opt for such medicines which are on the verge of expiry. .He had, therefore, urged that the government be directed to inform the Court about the mechanism in place to improve storage and management of medicines, including by employing competent professionals, incorporating necessary technology and by monitoring and evaluating the health supply chain. .Having asked the State authorities to respond in the matter with the information sought for, the Court adjourned the case for further hearing on July 8..[Read Order]