Panaji: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said show cause notices will be issued to two senior officials including the Director of Health Services for shortage of medicines at a primary health centre (PHC) in Panaji.

Rane, who paid a surprise visit to the Panaji primary health centre, was told that the medicines required to treat diabetic patients were short in supply.

"In view of short supply of medicines, the show cause notices would be issued to Director of Health Services Sanjiv Dalvi and health officer at Panaji PHC Pritam Naik seeking their explanation," Rane told reporters after PHC inspection.

The minister claimed that during his interaction with the patients and doctors he was shocked to see that the medicines required to be given for diabetic patients were in short supply.

"I have already moved a note to secretary health to issue show cause notices to Dalvi and Naik. Such insensitive attitude of the authorities and doctors will not be tolerated by the administration," Rane said.

The minister during his interaction with the patients was told that the medicines required to treat diabetic patients were short in supply.

"I was surprised that the diabetic medicines were in total short supply putting the patients to hardship," he said.

Rane said he has assured the patients that the supply of the medicines would be normalised within 48-hours.

Besides this, he said, the flax-bands which are used in treating diabetic patients would also be made available across all the primary and community health centres in the state.

"The patients are forced to visit North Goa district hospital to get these bands which will now be made available in all the health centres," he said.