The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Veerasamy accuses government of closing TNMSC website

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 11, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Veerasamy accuses government of closing TNMSC website

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, FEB.10. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) treasurer, Arcot N.Veerasamy, today accused the State Government of closing the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation's (TNMSC) website — tnmsc.tn.nic.in — meant for providing information on the stock position of various drugs at different Government hospitals.

In a statement here, Mr.Veerasamy, who held the Health portfolio in the previous DMK government, said the website was launched during the last tenure of M. Karunanidhi as Chief Minister from 1996 to 2001, to ensure transparency in the purchase and distribution of drugs.

A total of 268 drugs worth Rs.100 crores was distributed to various hospitals including primary health centres, taluk hospitals, district headquarters hospitals and medical college hospitals during that period. Arrangements were also made then to ensure replacement of stock within 24 hours of receipt of information regarding non-availability of any particular medicine in a hospital, Mr. Veerasamy recalled.

He said he came to know from the website on February 6 evening that none of the district hospitals was provided with many drugs now. This was brought to the notice of the Government during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address on February 7. As the Health Minister disputed the claim, he handed over copies of the information to the Chief Minister through the Speaker. He had done this with good intention that the Chief Minister, after ascertaining the facts, would take immediate steps to ensure availability of medicines.

To his dismay, he came to know that the website itself was closed, he alleged. When he tried to get details from the website regarding the stock position of various drugs around 4.30 p.m. on February 7, it merely mentioned the name of a medicine (Aluminium hydroxide tablet), he claimed.

When it was brought to his notice that details of the updated stock position as on February 9 was available on the website, Mr.Veerasamy said the Government might have done it in the wake of his statement.

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