Gandhinagar: The Commissioner of the Food and Drug Control Administration of Gujarat has issued a directive stating that hospitals cannot compel patients to purchase medicines from in-house medical stores.

The circular, addressed to all Assistant Commissioners, states that patients in hospitals across the state cannot be forced to purchase medicines from in-house medical stores. Therefore, the operators of each in-house medical store must prominently display the following notice when patients come to purchase medicines: “Patients of this hospital are not obligated to buy medicines from here.” This circular must be strictly enforced, and compliance is to be ensured by all Assistant Commissioners. DeshGujarat