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Mumbai: More than a year after the Nanded hospital tragedy, where 24 patients died within 24 hours amid critical shortage of resources like medicines, Maharashtra’s new health minister, Prakash Abitkar, has announced reforms, including independent third-party drug testing and an oversight on medicine procurement to have higher accountability in the health system.
The decision was made in the first meeting held on Wednesday with officials from various arms of the public health department, including the CEO of Maharashtra Medical Goods Procurement Agency (MMGPA), Chandrakant Dange, who was appointed soon after the Nanded deaths.
Abitkar said that manpower would be increased in MMGPA and strict action would be taken against the supplier or the procurement authority officials if discrepancies are found.
“He directed that hospitals should provide high-quality medicines from reputed companies and verify the ‘drug content’ of existing medicines,” the state health department told the press.
The health minister also stressed the enforcement of the Bombay Nursing Act, which mandates private hospitals to prominently display details of their inspections and service charges to prevent the exploitation of patients.
Additionally, he said that a new law would be proposed to regulate private blood testing and other laboratories, and flying squads would be constituted to routinely inspect such labs.
Another announcement in the meeting includes a makeover of public hospitals in the state. The minister emphasised the need for standardised hospital designs, balancing functionality and aesthetics, and proposed an architectural panel under the National Health Mission.
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