Minister for Urban Development Roshan Baig, who is also in-charge of Chikkamagaluru district, on Thursday made a surprise visit to the district hospital and found the generic drug centre selling branded medicines.
Taking serious exception to the sale of branded drugs at the centre, he directed the officers to close the shop.
Selling branded drugs in the shop was against the very purpose of setting up a generic medicine centre, Mr. Baig said. He also took the shopkeeper to task for stocking the branded drugs.
“There are many branded drugs in the shop. If you cannot keep generic medicine, the shop is better closed,” he said.
He told the officers that he had got the generic medicine shop in his constituency in Bengaluru closed for the same reason.
Washrooms without water
The Minister, during his visit to the district, walked into the hospital, without informing officers in advance. He visited the emergency unit and interacted with the patients.
The patients brought to his notice that the hospital required a CT scan facility. He also found washrooms without water. He took the district surgeon Doddamallappa to task for the lack of water in toilets.
Lack of doctors
As he walked into the ENT section, he saw a long queue of patients. When he enquired with the doctor in the section, he was told that only one doctor was working in the department and he had to attend to patients after finishing his duty at the operation theatre.
The Minister was accompanied by C.T.Ravi, Chikkamagaluru MLA; G. Satyavati, Deputy Commissioner; K. Annamalai, SP; and others.