So what if you stock life-saving drugs?
What a pain it is to pay one’s monthly EMIs. Just imagine the pain undergone by a person who has to pay a monthly bribe!
Hospitals and pharmacists play the key role in saving lives. However, even they have to grease the palms of government officials to procure or renew their licence.
Multiple respondents in hospitals have recorded their experiences in connection with payment of bribe. One affected medical shop owner from Bellary wrote about how he and numerous other medical shops in the district of Bellary in Karnataka end up paying Rs 10,000 a month as bribe to the Assistant Drug Inspector in the area so that they are allowed to carry on business undisturbed (http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/licence-bribe-1).
Even those involved in essential services such as stocking medicines are plagued with corrupt officials at every turn. A respondent from Jhansi, who is a stockist, had to pay a bribe of Rs. 20,000 to get a licence for a godown to stock medicines.
What is most frustrating is that when the rare few refuse to dole out bribes are mercilessly harassed by malicious officials. One of the forms this takes is unnecessary and repeated inspection visits to the principled shops or hospitals.
(By Surabhi.C & Sharanya.G))