Hospitals forcing patients to purchase medicines from their pharmacies will face action! – Tukaram Mundhe

Mumbai – The purchase of medicines is a legal right of every patient. Patients are not legally required to purchase medicines only from the pharmacy attached to a hospital. The choice of where to purchase medicines rests entirely with the patient and their family members.

All hospitals are required to comply with this rule. If a hospital forces patients to purchase medicines from its own pharmacy, citizens can file a complaint directly with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Every complaint will be taken seriously, and strict legal action will be initiated against the concerned hospital, warned Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Department, during a press conference.

Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe further stated: “We receive many complaints of this nature. In several cases, patients are compelled to purchase medicines from the hospital’s own pharmacy. However, deciding where to buy medicines is the patient’s personal choice and a fundamental right. No one can impose such a condition on them. It is mandatory for doctors practicing modern medicine to provide the patient’s relatives with a prescription listing the required medicines. Family members are free to purchase those medicines from any registered pharmacy of their choice, based on convenience and affordability. If a specific brand of medicine prescribed is unavailable, patients may also opt for an alternate generic equivalent, which is often available at the cost price.”

Editorial Perspective

Many hospitals exploit patients through the sale of medicines. Hospitals that exploit like his should be identified and shut down. Only then will others not dare to engage in such practices!