Tamil Nadu Says Monitoring System in Place to Plug Essential Medicine Gaps

Tamil Nadu Health Minister K.G. Arunraj said on Tuesday that a robust monitoring mechanism and a Standard Operating Procedure are in place to address any temporary supply gap in essential medicines, including surfactants, through immediate local purchase.

Responding in a social media post to a report on the shortage of surfactants in government hospitals over the past few months, the Minister said deans of medical college hospitals and Joint Directors of Health Services have been instructed to use funds readily available at the institutional level to procure surfactants without delay. These include money under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme and Special Newborn Care Unit operational costs.

He said no Special Newborn Care Unit in the State is permitted to keep a pre-term newborn waiting for the life-saving medicine when funds and a procurement mechanism are available at the institution itself.

According to the Minister, ₹409.81 crore under the Directorate of Medical Education and ₹34.17 crore under the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services are at the disposal of institutions for such procurement. He said there is no financial constraint in ensuring uninterrupted availability of surfactants.

Dr. Arunraj added that instructions to utilise locally available funds have been reiterated to all Chief Medical Officers and heads of the Department of Paediatrics. Compliance will be closely monitored, and any lapse at the institutional level in invoking the local purchase mechanism will be viewed seriously, he said.