Health and Family Welfare Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda has issued a direction to all District Collectors and Chief District Medical Officers (CDMOs) for close monitoring and successful implementation of the Niramaya scheme.
Dr Mehrada has pointed that eNiramaya is the flagship scheme of the Odisha Government and is aimed at providing free essential medicines to the patients coming at the outpatient department (OPD) and inpatient care department (IPD) of the Government run health facilities.
“Since the launch of the scheme in 2015, around 1.3 crore patients have been benefited under the scheme. Though a significant number of patients has been covered, improvement in monitoring and supervision at various levels of the scheme is required so that no patients of the OPD or IPD go without getting appropriate medicines,” Dr Meherda said.
“The Government has fixed a budget of Rs 250 crore for the year 2017-18 out of which procurement of drugs worth 80 per cent of the funds will be done Centrally through the OSMC and the remaining 20 per cent will be distributed to the institutions/districts for local procurement as per the need,” he added.
The Health and Family Welfare Department Secretary also issued several other directions to the officials for the better implementation of the Niramaya.
He said that the district Collectors’ role in giving a direction to the scheme so that its implementation is made in the right earnest in the health facilities by maintaining adequate stock of medicines supplied by the Odisha State Medical Corporation limited.
The medical officers at different levels, starting from identifying process to the prescription of generic medicines under close supervision of the CDMOs are required to be fully committed and involved.
The Health officials and the District Administration officials are asked to make adequate visits to the health facilities and ensure patients feedback on the availability of the medicines and their prescriptions.
Availability of IT infrastructure and its regular use by the facilities needs to be ensured.
This direction comes after the Odisha State Medical Corporation introduced new software which will enable availability of real time data on consumption tracking such as stock information at the level of district/institution, drug warehouses, and at block levels.
Medical officers at the CHC level and the ADMOs/MOs at districts/institutions level need to supervise properly and timely for indent of drugs in appropriate quantities.
Instead of central drug warehouses at district and institution level issuing stock on its own based on consumption, the sub stores at DHH/MCH level and the CHC/SDHs will now have to give the indents of their monthly requirements between 5th to 7th days of every month after the consumption entry in the new software between the 1st and 4th days of every month.
Sub stores of DHH/MCH can place indents during the course of the month for drawing items available at district DWH.
The PHCs and sub centers can draw medicines from tagged block of DWH and supply of the same will be done using vehicle fleet of OSMC. And in case where block drug warehouses have not been constructed or are under construction, suitable tagging with a warehouse will be done.
Dr Meherda in a letter also informed that to assist districts and other institutions one lTRMO in each district and institution level will assist the ADMO and the store medical officers in various tasks related to the implementation of Niramaya scheme.