Stocks of essential drugs at state hospitals below 40%

States, UTs told to update lists of key drugs, diagnostic tools to match national guidelines

- Priyanka Sharma

India's public health system that serves millions of its ordinary citizens faces a critical shortage of essential medicines and diagnostic services in some states, even as the country grapples with a rising burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Several states and Union territories (UTs)—including populous ones such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar, among many others—have less than 40% levels of essential medicines and diagnostic services available in government-run hospitals and health centers, according to an official aware of the matter, as well as a document reviewed by Mint.

The Centre has also conveyed its unhappiness to states and UTs about consumers being unaware of a key central government scheme to provide free drugs at public healthcare centers. A communication from the Union health ministry on 7 May to the states and UTs, seen by Mint, pointed to issues in the implementation of its free drugs and diagnostics service initiative (FDSI) programme under the national health mission (NHM).