UP: LLRM Medical College suffering with budget release for past 7 months

Meerut: The Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College(LLRM), has been going without medicines for its poor for the last seven months. Between January and March, the model code of conduct had been imposed leading to no budget being released. The new government that has taken over has also remained indifferent to the plight of the hospital and the poor, that are being affected in the absence of free medication.

The Rs. 7 crore budget that was released last year was finished to its last rupee in December . Despite several reminders having been sent to the concerned authorities no budget release has come the hospital way, claim authorities.

Patients in the absence of the financial budget being released to the facility have to forcibly turn to private pharmacies for medicines, which they can ill afford to purchase.

"The budget for medicines for 2016 ended in December 2016. Since then, there has been no money for the medicines, " Dr KK Gupta , Principal LLRM Medical College, told TOI.

"In spite of that, we kept procuring the medicines, leading to which we are in debt of Rs 2.5 crore, which we have to pay back. In January, model code of conduct was imposed and was in place till March. Due to which no budget could be released. Now, since the new government took charge in March, the budget for 2017-18 has not been released, making us helpless again," the Principal added.

The medical facility's administrative authorities who have been in constant touch with the concerned higher ups have yet to hear from them on the issue of medication.

Persistent demands have resulted in Rs. 5.6 lakh being released for the up gradation of the college's operation theater. However, money for medicines remains a neglected area.

"How do the patients get medicines? All we can do is to prescribe the medicines, but the patients can do little except purchasing them from private medical stores," said Gupta.

Patients express ignorance on the issue of the budget not being released for distribution of free medicine by the facility. A patient' s husband, who was detected with high fever, said, "The hospital does not even have medicines for common illness like fever. I am a labourer and I cannot afford medicines from private medical stores. If government medical colleges cannot provide us medicines for free, where should the poor go?"

According to medical college sources, the nature of patients visiting the hospital only called for a paltry Rs. 11.78 being spent on one patien. However, medicine money is yet to come.