NEW DELHI, Aug 5: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has not banned the commonly used paracetamol drug in India, the Government told Rajya Sabha today.
Replying to a written query in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said, “the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed that the CDSCO is not in receipt of information about rumours” of the regulatory body banning paracetamol.
Noting that “paracetamol is not banned in the country”, Patel said that “various Fixed Dose Combinations, including such combinations of paracetamol with other drugs, have been banned in the country”.
The Minister also informed the Upper House that the government has rolled out the free drugs service initiative under the National Health Mission (NHM) under the Union Health Ministry.
She also pointed out that this aims to ensure availability of essential drugs and reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of patients visiting the public health facilities, including government hospitals and rural primary health centres.
She elaborated that support is available for procurement of drugs and strengthening or setting up of robust systems of procurement, quality assurance, supply chain management and warehousing, prescription audit and grievance redressal among others.
Patel said the Union Health Ministry has also recommended a facility-wise essential medicines list to be made available at public healthcare facilities, including government hospitals and rural primary health centres.
“The recommended Essential Medicines List for Sub Health Centres, Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, Sub-District Hospitals and District Hospitals consists of 106, 172, 300, 318 and 381 drugs respectively, with flexibility to States to add more medicines,” she noted.
Also, “MSO has 1,152 registered indenters across India, including government hospitals and rural primary health centres, who may place demands for supply of drugs to MSO/GMSDs through MSO-DVDMS application software four times in a financial year,” Patel added. (UNI)
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