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Government of India
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
11-July-2014 15:06 IST
Free Medicines to the Patients

Public Health is a State subject: Under National Rural Health Mission financial support is provided for strengthening public healthcare delivery system including support for provision of free essential drugs to those who access public health facilities

Public Health is a State subject: Under National Rural Health Mission financial support is provided for strengthening public healthcare delivery system including support for provision of free essential drugs to those who access public health facilities. Under the National Health Mission-Free Drugs Service’  initiative launched in 2013, substantial funding within their annual allocation under the Mission is also provided for provision of free drugs to those who access public health facilities subject to States/UTs setting up or agreeing to set up robust systems of procurement, quality assurance, logistics & IT infrastructure for improved supply chain management besides having facility level wise Essential Drug List (EDL), Standard Treatment Guidelines (STDs) and systems of prescription audit to ensure rational drug use and naming the initiative as ‘NHM-Free Drug Service Initiative’. Addition of new schemes or modification of existing schemes is a regular activity under NHM.

 

The State/UT wise details of support provided for drugs as Cash and Kind grants during 2012-13 and 2013-14 is as below:

 

Cash and Kind Grant Support for Free Drugs & Supplies under NHM for 2012-13 & 2013-14

(Rs. in Crores)

 

S.No.

 

States/UTs

2012-13

2013-14

Cash Grants#

Kind Grants*

Total

Cash Grants#

Kind Grants*

Total

A. High Focus States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Bihar

91.12

189.56

280.67

155.70

170.62

326.32

2

Chattisgarh

8.23

38.09

46.32

51.67

22.00

73.67

3

Himachal Pradesh

4.89

3.38

8.27

11.22

7.24

18.46

4

Jammu & Kashmir

10.76

10.21

20.97

18.01

12.14

30.15

5

Jharkhand

35.48

43.19

78.67

39.51

23.05

62.56

6

Madhya Pradesh

81.27

65.08

146.35

133.66

58.65

192.31

7

Orissa

54.91

41.88

96.80

32.88

27.19

60.07

8

Rajasthan

50.67

98.60

149.27

160.54

57.33

217.86

9

Uttar Pradesh

196.45

244.25

440.70

242.21

205.02

447.23

10

Uttarakhand

12.02

9.53

21.55

10.97

6.49

17.46

 

Sub Total

545.79

743.78

1289.57

856.36

589.72

1446.08

B. NE States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

Arunachal Pradesh

3.41

4.32

7.73

5.72

0.92

6.64

12

Assam

159.83

29.44

189.27

132.10

28.35

160.45

13

Manipur

3.94

2.40

6.34

2.83

1.04

3.87

14

Meghalaya

8.37

6.07

14.44

5.57

1.61

7.18

15

Mizoram

4.82

3.83

8.65

4.31

0.56

4.87

16

Nagaland

9.64

5.51

15.15

2.44

1.74

4.18

17

Sikkim

1.35

0.31

1.66

0.62

0.41

1.03

18

Tripura

11.05

9.26

20.31

5.82

1.43

7.25

 

Sub Total

202.40

61.14

263.54

159.43

36.04

195.48

C. Non-High Focus States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19

Andhra Pradesh

35.06

58.95

94.02

59.26

72.62

131.88

20

Goa

2.05

0.96

3.01

2.55

1.18

3.73

21

Gujarat

22.67

86.83

109.50

77.63

110.24

187.87

22

Haryana

22.65

35.88

58.53

40.78

38.35

79.12

23

Karnataka

58.47

57.12

115.60

67.14

51.71

118.84

24

Kerala

15.59

29.59

45.18

11.60

22.19

33.79

25

Maharashtra

83.43

55.80

139.23

275.81

67.70

343.50

26

Punjab

45.14

16.12

61.26

74.77

18.44

93.21

27

Tamil Nadu

71.19

68.32

139.51

71.35

71.06

142.41

28

West Bengal

84.93

74.14

159.07

136.75

51.95

188.70

 

Sub Total

441.19

483.73

924.92

817.63

505.43

1323.06

D. Small States/UTs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

1.59

0.81

2.41

0.38

0.10

0.48

30

Chandigarh

1.09

0.85

1.94

0.00

0.70

0.70

31

Dadra & Nagar Haveli

0.67

0.22

0.89

0.37

0.14

0.51

32

Daman & Diu

0.22

0.13

0.34

0.12

0.07

0.20

33

Delhi

17.33

17.95

35.28

36.96

16.62

53.58

34

Lakshadweep

0.03

0.04

0.07

0.29

0.02

0.30

35

Puducherry

2.52

1.13

3.64

2.49

0.86

3.35

 

Sub Total

23.45

21.13

44.58

40.62

18.51

59.13

 

Grand Total

1212.83

1309.77

2522.60

1874.04

1149.71

3023.74

#cash grant is PIP Approval under procurement of drugs and supllies under RCH and Mission Flexible Pool

*kind Grants is cost adjustment / release for vaccine and drugs under RI, PPI, NVBDCP and RNTCP

Note: The above figures do not include support provided for HIV/AIDS drugs.

 

States/UTs are required to put in place robust procurement and IT enabled logistic systems, quality assurance mechanisms prepare facility-wise EDLs and STGs and provide for prescription audits.  Funds for setting up these systems are also are being provided to States/UTs under the National Health Mission. National Health System Resource Centre (NHSRC) has been tasked to undertake periodic assessment of drugs procurement and logistics system of the States/UTs.

 

To reduce out of pocket expenses on health care, support is being provided to States/UTs under NHM (NRHM) for strengthening the public health systems through support for infrastructure, human resource, drugs, equipment etc. Support is also being provided for free ambulance services, free services through Mobile Medical Units besides host of free services under programmes such as Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), Universal Immunisation Programme, Family Planning Programme and services under various Disease Control Programmes such as National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Revised National  Tuberculosis Control Programme, National Leprosy Eradication Programme, National AIDS Control Programme etc  In addition, two initiatives have been launched under NHM namely, the NHM Free Drugs Service Initiative and the NHM Free Diagnostic Service Initiative under which substantial funding (within their annual allocation under the Mission) can be provided to State/UTs to provide free essential drugs and free essential  diagnostics to those who access public health facilities subject to specified conditions mentioned in reply to part (a) and part (b) above. The Ministry has initiated the process of strengthening the above with a package of assured services at the public health facilities.

 

The Health Minister was replying to a question in the Lok Sabha here today.

 

                                                       *****

MV/BK