The hospital authorities started to shut the operations of three pharmacies at the Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) from June 2024 due to various reasons. The pharmacies at the OPD-1, OPD-2 and cabin block were later closed down although some valuable medicines remained inside the stores.
The pharmacies were selling medicine at low cost to patients since 2017. According to hospital sources, over 10,000 patients used to get benefit of these pharmacies.
The suffering of the patients has become extreme due to the closure of the pharmacy services at the facility. Patients, as a result, are now buying medicine from shops outside the hospital at higher prices.
There are allegations of financial irregularities against pharmacy staff, which was the main reason behind the permanent closure of the pharmacies, sources said.
At the same time, according to sources, there are unsold medicines in the lockers of the three pharmacies. As result, a huge amount of medicines has gone beyond the expiry dates already.
Nazrul Islam brought his ailing wife to the facility from Comilla. He said it is quite difficult at night to buy medicines from outside the hospital. He expressed the need for a ward pharmacy within the periphery of the hospital so that medicines can be bought quickly during emergencies.
Kamruzzaman, who brought his ailing mother to the hospital, said the prices of medicines are quite high outside. But currently there is no alternative.
In his comments on the situation, BMU Director Brigadier General Abu Noman Md Musleh Uddin said the services were dispensed with due to complications with inventory software and some administrative problems.
He said that those who worked with the software in the past are not cooperating with the new management of the hospital.
He said: “The new administration came and found the pharmacies closed. Software update work is currently underway and it will be possible to open the pharmacies soon. However, it is not possible to give a specific time.”
When asked about allegations of corruption behind the closure of the pharmacies, he said: “Financial irregularities could be a reason, but inefficient staff and other administrative problems were also involved.”
He also said that the hospital is currently providing 20-25 types of medicines free of cost to patients from a store run by the BMU. However, he acknowledged that the supply is quite low compared to the demand.