Robust mechanism in place to address any supply gap in essential medicines

…the Health Minister responded to a report published in The Hindu — ‘Tamil Nadu government hospitals running short of critical medicines for pre-term babies’ — on the shortage of surfactants for the past few months. “ All deans of medical college hospitals and Joint Directors of Health Services are instructed to utilise the funds readily available at the institutional level — including the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme funds and Special Newborn Care Unit operational costs — to procure surfactants without any delay. No SNCU in the State is permitted to keep a pre-term newborn waiting for want of this life-saving medicine when funds and a procurement mechanism are available at the institution itself,” he said. “As on date, ₹409.81…