Dr KK Aggarwal & Advocate
Ira Gupta
Heart Care Foundation of India
(HCFI) had filed one RTI Application dated 22.01.2018 with National
Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, Department of Pharmaceuticals and also with
Drug Controller General of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare asking
them to provide following information:
1.
Is there any law relating to National
Essential Medicine in India? If yes, please provide the details of the said
law.
2.
Is there any policy of Ministry of
Health relating to National Essential Medicine? If yes, please provide the copy
of the said policy.
3.
Is there any list of National
Essential Medicine in India? If yes, please provide the copy of the said list.
In response to the said RTI
application dated 22.01.2018, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had
given its reply dated 09.02.2018 wherein the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare had specifically stated that there is no separate list of National
Essential Devices and Disposables and that the Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare only issues the National List of Essential Medicines. The relevant
portion of the reply dated 09.02.2018 is reproduced hereunder:
“Reference
is invited to your RTI application dated 22.01.2018 forwarded by Shri Arun
Kumar Diwan, CPIO, NPPA vide letter No. 23011/07(1)/16-Admn/NPPA-RTI/Pt.-I
dated 24.01.2018 (received on 31.01.2018) and it is informed that there is no
separate list of National Essential Devices and Disposables. Ministry of Health
& Family Welfare issues only the National List of Essential Medicines
(NLEM).”
Thereafter, the Directorate
General of Health Services, Office of DCG (I) had also sent a reply dated
20.02.2018 thereby informing that they do not have any information relating to
National Essential Devices and Disposables.
Thereafter, HCFI submitted one
representation dated 08.06.2018 to Mr. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of
India, Mr. Jagat Prakash Nadda, Hon’ble Minister of Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare and also to Mr. Ravi Shankar, Hon’ble Minister of Ministry of
Law & Justice thereby requesting
them to recognise and prepare the List of National Essential Devices and
Disposables in the same manner as National List of Essential Medicines is being
recognised and prepared.
The
request of HCFI of formulation of law relating to National Essential Devices
and Disposables in India is duly accepted by Hon’ble
Ministers and accordingly, vide letter dated 07.08.2018, the Drug Controller
General, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, DGHS informed HCFI that
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has constituted as committee for
preparing detailed guidelines and procedures for revision of National List of
Essential Medicines and inclusion of Medical devices, Medical Disposables and
Medical Consumables and other products used for Health and Hygiene of general
public in NLEM. The relevant portion of the letter dated 07.08.2018 is
reproduced hereunder:
“This office has received a
representation vide PMO ID No. PMOPG/D/2018/021845 enclosing your letter
dated 08.06.2018 for taking appropriate action on the subject mentioned above.
In this
regard, it is pertinent to mention here that Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare vide F. No. 11053/923/2017-DRS dated 03.07.2018 has constituted a
Standing National Committee on Medicines (SNCM) under the Chairmanship of
Secretary, DHR and DG, ICMR.
As per the
Term of reference of the SNCM, the committee will prepare detailed guidelines
and procedures for revision of National List of Essential Medicines and suggest
additions and deletion in the NLEM, Revision of NLEM 2-15, Inclusion of
Medical Devices, Medical Disposables, Medical Consumables and other product
used for Health and Hygiene of general public in NLEM.
It is important to mention
herein that across the world, the National Essential Devices and Disposables is
being recognised by law and which are as important as a National List of
Essential Medicines. Now, after the constitution of the said Standing National
Committee on Medicines, in India also there will be National List of Essential
Medical Devices, Medical Disposables Medical Consumables and other product used
for Health and Hygiene of general public in NLEM.
The National List of Medical
Devices, Medical Disposables, Medical Consumables and other products used for
Health and Hygiene will be beneficial for the general public for the following
reasons:
·
Guide safe and effective treatment of priority
disease conditions of a population
·
Promote the rational use of Medical Devices,
Medical Disposables, Medical Consumables and other products used for health and
hygiene.
·
Optimize the available health resources of a
country
·
State governments can use this national list as a guide
to prepare their list of essential Medical Devices, Medical Disposables,
Medical Consumables and other products used for health and hygiene
·
There will be uniformity in prices of Medical
Devices, Medical Disposables, Medical Consumables and other products used for
health and hygiene included in the national essential list.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma
Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of Medical
Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group
Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President
Heart Care Foundation of India
Immediate Past National President IMA
No comments:
Post a Comment