Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviews availability of essential medicines

The government has attempted to raise awareness and draw attention to the Covid-19 surge elsewhere. PM Modi held a review meeting last week when he urged people and administrations to be alert and not drop their guard

Updated on: Dec 29, 2022, 20:14:03 IST

By Rhythma Kaul

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NEW DELHI: Union health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, on Thursday held a meeting of representatives of pharma companies to review availability of essential medicines in the country following an outbreak in neighbouring China.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviews the COVID-19 mock drill at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi on Tuesday (HT File)

“Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the status, adequacy of Covid management drugs and production capacities with representatives of pharma companies through a VC (video conference), here today, so that India is equipped to effectively handle any situation. This review meeting was taken in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases in some countries worldwide,” said Union ministry of health and family welfare in a statement.

The minister was briefed regarding the evolving global scenario. The health minister appreciated and congratulated the pharma companies for their invaluable contribution during the COVID pandemic in the country.

“India’s pharmaceutical industry is robust, resilient and responsive. It is due to their strength that we could not only meet our down demand during the pandemic, but also be in a position to supply medicines to 150 countries,” said Mandaviya during the meeting.

This was achieved without any fall in quality or a hike in the price of medicines, he added.

According to the health ministry, the pharma companies were also told to keep a close watch on the global supply chain scenario.

“They were also asked to closely monitor production and availability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as well as formulations of essential medicines for Covid management. They were asked to ensure adequate stocks and availability of all drugs including COVID drugs in the supply chain up to the retail level. They expressed confidence that they will be able to manage the supply chain of Covid drugs,” said the health ministry statement.

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, secretary (pharma) S Aparna, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority chairman Kamlesh Pant, drugs controller general of India Dr VG Somani, were among those present at the meeting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rhythma Kaul
Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.Read More

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