Mangaluru: Health and family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the supply of medicines to the govt hospitals in Karnataka was severely affected due to the West Asia crisis.He told reporters here on Friday that suppliers handling orders for certain medicines placed by the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited have sought additional time to despatch the medicines due to the West Asia crisis. Suppliers have sought 30 days’ time to supply medicines as they are not able to complete the procurement. Many pharmaceutical companies too have been facing difficulties in production since they are not able to procure ingredients due to the LPG shortage crisis. The situation may continue if West Asia crisis does not end soon. However, he said, there is no need to panic at the moment.He pointed out that the prices of a few medicines have increased due to the increase in the production and non-availability of ingredients. The Centre should ensure that prices are not increased further.“The Central govt should make alternative arrangements to ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products. The govt should also think of depending on countries, other than West Asia, for the supply of crude oil and LPG. It is the responsibility of the Centre to ensure that people in our country are not affected,” he said.Congress will winTo a query on the byelections in Davangere and Bagalkot, the minister said that Congress candidates would win with the highest margin.“We have taken everyone into confidence. The Congress is a secular party and is not restricted to any particular community. Ticket aspirants may have felt disappointed, but all have worked for the party candidate,” he said.On elections in other states, Rao said, “The UDF will win the election in Kerala, and the INDIA alliance will win in Tamil Nadu.”On delimitation, the minister said the Centre should protect the interests of the southern states. “We want to ensure that the political strength and power of southern states are not compromised. The issue will be discussed at the Congress Working Committee,” he added.
