3 chemist shops close in Chandigarh govt facilities

To make medicines more accessible, former health secretary Yashpal Garg had initiated the process of opening chemist shops in three civil hospitals — Sector 22, Sector 45, and Mani Majra — but high rentals and limited sales have closed these. Most Sector 22 Civil Hospital patients are pregnant women and are provided free medicines and services for deliveries and patient admissions. Other patients visiting the hospital are few, leading to low sales at the chemist shop, the rent of which is Rs 10 lakh. Also, several private chemist shops around the hospital add to the increasing competition and low business.

Similarly, the rent of the chemist shop at the Mani Majra Hospital is also around Rs 10 lakh. With the department offering many free medicines to patients, the shop here also closed after a year.

Two years ago, after a chemist shop at GMSH-16 was closed due to encroachment, old low rent and pending renewal of contract, another shop was opened on campus. But this shop has been closed for the last four months due to a rent of close to Rs 17 lakh. At present, the hospital has two private chemist shops, one functional, along with a Jan Aushadhi Kendra. The process of floating a tender for reopening the shop has already started. As per a senior official, the state should give the shops on a lower rent to chemists, as most medicines are provided free of cost at the hospital, and treatment for pregnant women in the gynaecology department is entirely free.

According to Dr Suman Singh, Director Health Services, earlier, 47 types of medicines were provided free of cost, and now the list has been extended to 175, and in the future, this will be increased to 375. “As far as the rent is concerned, we cannot reduce it after a certain level, as the value is based on per square foot of land and is decided by the Department of Engineering. We are aware of the shops being vacant, but we cannot assure business, and we will soon issue tenders for the closed shops,” says Dr Singh.