Shillong, Feb 28: The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on Social and Economic Sectors and Urban Local Bodies for the year ended March 31, 2023 has revealed that there was shortage of 63 to 76 per cent of essential drugs in the selected CHCs, while there was shortage in all five categories of drugs in all the PHCs.
The audit report also revealed that there was also a shortage of 90 per cent of essential drugs observed in the selected CHCs and PHCs with respect to 1,329 numbers of drugs in the State Essential Drugs List.
The report also stated that the 100 bedded prefab centres at Shillong and Tura constructed at a total cost of 25.18 crore remained unutilised due to non-availability of water supply in case of Shillong centre and absence of electricity connection and water supply connection in respect of Tura centre.
The CAG stated that installation/construction of 18 oxygen generation plants had been completed at a total cost of Rs. 3.53 crore. “However 10 plants constructed at a total cost of Rs. 2.46 crore had not been utilised from the date of their completion mainly due to non-availability of transformer or pipeline connection issues or low transformer load,” the report said.
Construction of eight AYUSH facilities had been completed in the year 2019 at a total cost of Rs. 1.77 crore and handed over during May 2019 to December 2020. However, according to the CAG all centres had remained non-functional till September 2022.
As per joint physical verification of private health facilities nursing homes in four selected districts by audit revealed that 19 facilities (out of 22) were running without a valid license.
Furthermore, 17 doctors employed in government hospitals were found practising in private health facilities, in violation of Meghalaya Nursing Home Rules, 2015.
There was an overall shortage of 60 and 50 per cent amongst doctors, 7 and 4 per cent amongst nursing staff as well as 58 and 4 per cent in terms of paramedical staff in the eight selected CHCs and PHCS respectively, when compared with the State norms.
The CAG recommended that the state government should address gaps in human resources. It also suggested that medical equipment must always be available and function effectively, to be able to administer quality health care services.
It also advised that a comprehensive arrangement should be in place according to the need of hospitals to ensure all time availability of essential drugs in each health facility.
“It should be ensured that a formulary of drugs to prepared by each health facility on the basis of disease patterns and inflow of patients, the State Essential Drug List (SEDL) be updated accordingly and stock-out of required drugs is forestalled,” the report stated.
The CAG also recommended that necessary action may be taken to make all medical infrastructure functional for better health services.
