The pharmacy, which was closed after initial investigations revealed that approximately Rs 55 million worth of medicines were irregular, has reopened after five months.
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The pharmacy service, which was closed at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, has resumed operations.
The pharmacy, which was closed after a preliminary investigation found that medicines worth about 55 million rupees were irregular, has reopened after five months. The institute has started operating the pharmacy from Friday with the aim of providing quality medicines to patients at affordable prices, said spokesperson Prof. Dr. Anju Pradhan.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Bikram Prasad Shrestha, Rector Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Registrar Prof. Dr. Surya Prasad Sangraula and Hospital Director Dr. Jagat Narayan Prasad jointly inaugurated the pharmacy. Arrangements have been made to enable service recipients affiliated with the Nepal Government Health Insurance to obtain medicines through the pharmacy opened by the institute.
The pharmacy was temporarily closed after initial reports of a large quantity of medicines being missing from the pharmacy. According to the foundation, the operation of the pharmacy was contracted to a private company, 'KTM Security Services Pvt. Ltd.'.
The foundation had stopped regular payments to the company, saying that the physical examination could not be conducted as the company did not present its representative despite repeated correspondence. The employees working through the company had started a protest on 18th of last Shrawan claiming that they had not received their monthly salary. After that, the sale and distribution of medicines in the pharmacy was disrupted.
The foundation made alternative arrangements and after some facts were found abnormal during the physical examination of the stock in the pharmacy on 20th of Shrawan, a 5-member investigation committee was formed under the coordination of Additional Professor of the Department of Orthopedics of the foundation, Dr. Bishnu Pokharel, and the necessary process was being taken forward.
During the initial investigation, out of the medicines worth about Rs 55 million, Rs 50 million were found missing from the stock, Rs 3.6 million were not accounted for in cash, Rs 400,000 were found to be in sales irregularities, and expired medicines worth more than Rs 1.4 million were found.
The five-member investigation committee formed under the coordination of Additional Professor Dr. Pokharel of the institute's Department of Orthopedics is scheduled to submit a report within 25 days, but the investigation is ongoing, said spokesperson Pradhan.
According to Pradhan, the investigation is only being conducted based on preliminary facts and only after the committee's final report comes out, the culprits will be identified or action will be taken. She said that she would speak about this after the report comes out in a few days.
With the re-operation of the pharmacy, it is believed that the problem of patients having to pay expensive prices for medicines outside the medical center will now be reduced. She said that the financial burden of the patients will be reduced as the medicines will be available at cheaper prices in the institute's pharmacy than the external prices. Along with this, arrangements have been made to allow patients under health insurance to purchase medicines from here, she said.
The foundation has stated that it aims to make the medicine distribution process through pharmacies more transparent, affordable and convenient.
