Uneven distribution leads to Ayurvedic medicine waste in Gujarat

A government Ayurvedic hospital in Gujarat has found itself involving the mismanagement of Ayurvedic medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the surge in demand for Ayurvedic medicines like Sanshamani Vati, thousands of kilograms of these medicines have expired, awaiting proper distribution.

According to reports, government Ayurvedic hospitals in the state faced a shortage of essential medicines like Sudarshan Ghanvati and Sanshamani Vati, where in some hospitals it stayed untouched.

This discrepancy was caused as distribution depots failed to ensure timely and equitable allocation of medicines to hospitals during the pandemic.

Among the expired medicines, a portion consisted of Sanshamani Vati, with 8,611 kilograms expiring in April 2024 alone. Other expired medicines included Bharangyadi Kwath (828 kilograms) and Trikatu Churna (372 kilograms).

The Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) department has been alerted to the situation and is working to dispose of the expired medicines.

The director of the AYUSH department has announced the formation of a committee to conduct lab testing on the expired medicines to assess their effectiveness. If the tests determine that the medicines can still be used, they may be retained instead of being destroyed.

While the decision to dispose of expired medicines is pending, new orders for medicines worth ₹17.70 lakh of Sanshamani Vati and ₹49.45 lakh of Sudarshan Ghanvati have been placed in government Ayurvedic hospitals. Of the 3,000 kilograms of Sanshamani Vati and Sudarshan Ghanvati, 234 kilograms will be allocated to Ahmedabad district.