Gujarat Commissioner of Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) has issued a new directive mandating hospitals to display a signboard at their in-house medical stores. The signboard should read, "Patients of this hospital are not required to buy medicine from here."

The directive clearly states that assistant commissioners within the authority are prohibited from forcing hospital patients to purchase medicine exclusively from the hospital's in-house medical stores. Consequently, the operators of these in-house stores must prominently display the notice to inform patients of their options.

Dr H G Koshiya, the Food and Drugs Commissioner, explained that while the department does not have control over the hospitals themselves, it can regulate the medical stores. Therefore, the directive orders medical stores to put up a board indicating that purchasing medicine from the hospital store is not mandatory.

Dr Koshiya emphasised that this move aims to ensure that residents have access to essential medicines that are pure, high-quality, and reasonably priced. By forcing patients to buy from in-house stores, hospitals have been preventing access to generic or cheaper alternatives, placing unnecessary financial burden on patients.

The administration has instructed all hospital in-house medical store managers to immediately display a sign stating, "Patients of this hospital are not required to buy medicine from here." This will allow patients to purchase medicine from any medical store they choose.

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