Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, today chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat here to review the performance and functioning of Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL).

The meeting was attended by Secretary Health and Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed; Managing Director, JKMSCL, Principals of all GMCs, Principals of Dental Colleges, CMOs of all districts and other concerned officers, either in person or virtually.

Addressing the officers, Sakeena Itoo underscored the need for further strengthening monitoring system of medical supplies for enhanced healthcare service delivery across Jammu and Kashmir. She called for bringing added transparency and efficiency in medicine distribution for patients in all district and Sub-district hospitals as well as health centres.

The Minister asked the Principals of all GMCs to maintain proper record of medicines distributed among patients at their respective hospitals as well as of those prescribed for patients but not available in their stocks.

Sakeena further stressed on the management of JKMSCL to maintain quality standards in medical supplies as well as machinery and equipments being procured by the corporation.

 Acknowledging the role of JKMSCL in upgrading the healthcare infrastructure across J&K, she urged the management to work towards a more responsive and efficient system that caters to growing medical needs of locals here.

While assessing the purchase status of machinery and other high end equipments for various healthcare facilities of J&K, Sakeena called upon the management of the Corporation to reduce delays in procurement and adopt an enhanced framework for timely delivery of machinery and equipments. She directed the JKMSCL management to expedite pending procurement processes and ensure timely delivery of medical supplies, machinery and equipments, especially in rural and remote areas.

While reviewing the status of Drugs and Vaccine Distribution Management System (DVDMS) portal, Sakeena Itoo stressed on the management of JKMSCL for physical monitoring of drugs being distributed among various health facilities. She asked them to constitute teams for conducting surprise inspections of drugs and medicines being delivered to hospitals and other facilities.

She further asked the management of corporation to take action against officers who are yet to on-board on DVDMS portal.

During the meeting, MD, JKMSCL provided a detailed presentation on procurement mechanisms, supply chain management, availability of medicines as well as financial position of the Corporation.