Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the process of purchasing medicines is being simplified. | Photo credit: file photo
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday admitted that there were some problems related to the supply of certain medicines to the primary health centers (PHCs) in the state, but told the Legislative Council that there was no shortage of medicines in the state hospitals at the district and taluk levels.
Of the 890 drugs to be supplied, the minister told the Council that 534 would be procured through tendering, of which orders had been placed for 232 drugs. Another 356 would be procured locally.
Over the past two months, hospitals have been asked to procure drugs locally. The drugs were available under AB-ARK and ₹20 crore was earmarked for their purchase. “During the transition phase, we asked the hospitals to buy medicines locally and provided them with money. Medicines worth ₹270 crore were supplied during the transition phase.”
Drugs are available in taluk and district hospitals while some problems have been reported in primary health centres, he added.
Stating that the process of purchasing drugs was being simplified, Mr. Rao said officials were visiting the manufacturing plants of pharmaceutical firms to ascertain the manufacturer’s capacity to supply the required drugs. The new bidding process allows newcomers to enter as the previous “past performance” clause that held back many newcomers has been removed and staggered delivery instead of annual stock has been introduced, he added.
At the rally, Mr. Rao insisted that there was no shortage of drugs. However, the department was in the process of reforming the procurement of drugs and operations of the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation (KSMSCL).
Certain problems may have occurred in this transitional phase, the minister claimed.
The minister explained that there will be a month-long quarantine after the procurement of drugs. During this period, the drugs will undergo quality tests before being given to hospitals, he explained.
Published – 17 March 2026 23:28 IST
