Sale of generic medicines saved consumers ₹2000 cr last fiscal: Pharma secretary

Vaghela was speaking at the inaugural edition of the ‘CME Summit and Excellence Awards’ organized by the Indian Health and Wellness Council (IHW).

Updated on: Aug 8, 2019, 23:27:31 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Rhythma Kaul

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Controlling medicine prices through Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2017 saved at least ₹12,400 crores, pharma secretary PD Vaghela said on Thursday.

Jan Aushadhi stores are also growing steadily in the country. (SHUTTERSTOCK.)

Jan Aushadhi stores are also growing steadily in the country and have managed to generate a saving of ₹315 crore ( ₹2000 crore for consumers) in the last financial year, he added.

Vaghela was speaking at the inaugural edition of the ‘CME Summit and Excellence Awards’ organized by the Indian Health and Wellness Council (IHW).

“My request to the doctors is to prescribe generic medicines at least to poor patients. The generic medicines are like branded medicines. The drug pricing control order (DPCO) in 2017 has made medicines more affordable…,” Vaghela said. He emphasized upon the need for continuing medical council (CME) quality healthcare delivery.

“Those doctors who are ignoring CME are doing so at their own peril. Though we cannot rule out information bias of pharmaceutical giants in CME, I believe including nurses and other support staff will make it more effective. We may also partner with IHW to develop CME programs,” he said, while highlighting the series of technological advances that have made headway across the world and are going to impact India as well.

Prescribing right medicines is also important.

“I believe supply of medicine is going to be important as the supply of basic necessities of healthy life – good air, water and food, are insufficient. Producing good medicine, however, does not guarantee good health, we need to make sure that the doctors have the knowledge to implement the upgradations,” said Kamal Narayan, CEO, IHW.

The CME courses in India are funded by a wide range of organizations such as the Union ministry of health and family welfare and the Medical Council of India (MCI), as well as international organizations such as UNICEF.

The MCI mandates that its members should complete 30 hours of CME every five years in order to re-register as doctors.

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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