Home Ministry Refutes Claim Of Life Saving Drugs Shortage In J&K thewire.in

Despite several ground reports on the lack of medicines, the home ministry only admitted that there was a shortage of baby food on two days. The MHA also claimed that medicines worth Rs 23.81 crore have reached end-user retail shops in the last 20 days, a number which is alleged: “slightly higher than (the) monthly average.” All 376 notified drugs and 62 life-saving drugs are also reportedly available at government shops and private retailers’. Both categories of medicines have stocks that will reportedly last 15-20 days. The MHA also tweeted that the average delivery time from Jammu, where it says most distributors are from, is 14-18 hours. The tweets do not specify whether the time frame would be the same for deliveries across the Valley. There is also no case of overpricing, according to the MHA. Finally, when it comes to baby food, the MHA says there is a stock that will last three weeks and that there are three people stationed at Jammu and Chandigarh for quick despatch of baby food, and medicines. At which point in the 21-day shutdown was there a two-day baby food shortage is not mentioned.