Himachal Pradesh will prepare a new Essential Drugs List to ensure the availability of quality medicines in government health institutions, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ordering tighter quality checks and stricter enforcement of drug safety norms across the state.
The Chief Minister issued the directions while presiding over a review meeting of the Health Department on Tuesday evening. He said the revised Essential Drugs List would be examined by a High Power Committee to ensure that only safe, effective and necessary medicines are included for public healthcare facilities.
Sukhu underlined that the move towards direct procurement of medicines from manufacturers was not merely aimed at reducing costs. He said the decision was intended to eliminate delays caused by middlemen and to bring greater transparency to the supply chain. By bypassing intermediaries, the state aims to maintain a consistent supply of life-saving drugs in government hospitals, for which necessary provisions would be made.
The Chief Minister also directed the Health Department to strengthen the mechanism for sampling and quality testing of medicines supplied to government health institutions. He said dedicated quality control cells would be set up in each medical college of the state, equipped with adequate staff, training and modern testing facilities.
In the first phase, such cells will be established at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (Dr. RPGMC), Tanda.
Sukhu further instructed officials to ensure strict quality checks of medicines manufactured by pharmaceutical companies operating in Himachal Pradesh. He directed that the provisions of Schedule-M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, which prescribe standards for good manufacturing practices, must be enforced strictly in the state.
Reiterating the government’s stand, the Chief Minister said there would be no compromise with patients’ health and any lapse in maintaining quality standards would be dealt with firmly.
