Chief Minister Raman Singh reviewed the action plan to ensure availability of free of cost generic medicines in district hospitals and nearly 155 community health centres of all 27 districts on Tuesday.
The CM instructed officials concerned to complete all the preparations at earliest so that this scheme can be inaugurated on the occasion of Independence Day.Chief Minister said that in the first phase, this scheme of ensuring availability and supply of free generic medicines will be initiated in district hospitals and community health centres.
later, in the upcoming phases, this scheme will be extended to other hospitals. Costs of generic medicines are significantly less than the branded medicines, but there is hardly any difference of quality between the two. Both generic medicines and branded medicines have similar healing effects. This is the reason why generic medicines are more economic and affordable for the common people.
Chief Minister has instructed all the doctors to necessarily prescribe generic medicines to the patients. In the meeting it was informed that Health Department had invited tender for generic medicines, and as of now 200 out of 700 generic medicines have been received. As per the instructions, other generic medicines will also be made available on time. Presentation on action plan for generic medicine supply in state was also screened during the meeting in presence of Chief Minister.
Dr Singh said that State Government has made all the arrangements to supply low-cost food-grains to poor families of State under Chhattisgarh Food and Nutrition Security Act. This act has further improved the public distribution system, which is being successfully executed through more than 10,000 fair price shops. Chief Minister said that if state government can supply rice at nominal rates of Rs 1 and Rs 2 per kg to poor consumers and Rs 9.50 per kg to general consumers, then facilitating the supply of free of cost generic medicines in all Government hospitals of state is not at difficult. In this meeting, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Hemchand Yadav, Finance and Planning Department Additional Chief Secretary DS Mishra, Health Department Principal Secretary MK Raut, and other senior officials were also present.
It is noteworthy that Chief Minister made announcement of supplying free generic medicines to people through Government hospitals of State while addressing the recent budget session of Vidhan Sabha. Under this scheme, all the outdoor patients and smart-card holders will be able to avail the free of cost generic medicines from district hospitals and community health centres. In the context, Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department MK Raut informed that detailed directive instructions have been issued to the Commissioner, Director and Managing Director of Chhattisgarh Medical Corporation. As per the instructions, medicines will be procured based on the list of essential medicines.
And the medicines that are not included in the list of essential medicines, will be procured at local level through Chief Medical and Health Officer and Civil Surgeon. However, the expenditure on procurement of medicines not included in the essential list cannot exceed 20 per cent of the total allotted budget. Medicines included in essential list will be procured by Chhattisgarh Medical Service Corporation, after the Chief Medical and Health Officers present the institution-wise annual demand of medicines, through Directorate of Health Services. Chhattisgarh Medical Service Corporation will decide the tender rates of the medicines included in list of essential medicines. Storage and distribution of the medicines will also be looked after by Chhattisgarh Medical Service Corporation. All the health institutions will be equipped with stock monitoring system that will be connected to computer system of Chhattisgarh Medical Service Corporation.
This will help in ensuring the supply of out of stock medicines on time. Generic medicines will be distributed to the people free of cost by Pharmacists of the hospitals. Instructions have been given to ensure that none of the patients should get to wait longer that 10 minutes to get the medicines. Jeevan Deep Samiti has been instructed to appoint pharmacists wherever required. It is compulsory for all the hospitals to forward the daily details regarding availability of stock especially those included in the list of essential medicines, to Medicine Distribution Centre.