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Written By: Admin | Updated : March 21, 2012 9:10 AM IST
The proposal for the 12th Five Year Plan includes a new initiative to supply essential medicines free of cost for patients seeking healthcare in public health facilities, the health ministry said Tuesday. "This is with a view to bring down out-of-pocket expenditure and thereby provide affordable healthcare to the poor and vulnerable sections of the society," Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
He also said the framework for this initiative would include formulation of essential drug list, standard treatment guidelines, institutionalised procurement of quality essential medicines and supply chain management along with an accountability and oversight mechanism. The central government will provide free generic drugs at all public health facilities from April 2012 in an effort to reduce the financial burden on patients, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday.
This move reaffirms the central govt's earlier stance on reducing social inequalities when it comes to healthcare . He said that the Commission on Social Determinants of Health has outlined that unequal distribution of health damaging experiences are perpetuated by a combination of poor social policies and programmes and unfair economic arrangements, globally and nationally.
Source: IANS
