India plans to give 50 essential medicines to every citizen, free of charge
Sanchita Sharma, Hindustan Times:
After recently prescribing the need for ‘bitter medicine’ to resuscitate the ailing economy, the Narendra Modi government is, seemingly, working on contours of a social welfare healthcare project to sweeten the deal for the citizenry. For starters, the health ministry’s vision is to provide 50 essential generic medicines, free of cost, from “birth to death” to all Indians across the nation.
“Fifty basic essential drugs address 75% of the healthcare needs of the majority, and we plan to make these available free to everyone, from birth to death,” Union health minister Harsh Vardhan told HT.
The programme will be rolled out in phases, beginning with select hospitals across India, with the objective of reaching every citizen.
Once the rollout is complete, everyone will get these 50 medicines – that include traditional treatments for pain, infection, hypertension, diabetes, among others – complimentary on prescription at public hospitals and dispensaries.