To ensure timely availability of affordable medicines to the weaker sections of the society in Gujarat, the Health and Family Welfare Department recently submitted a proposal to the State government urging it to make the Central Medical Stores Organisation (CMSO) an independent corporation. It is understood that the proposal is already under consideration and is likely to be approved soon.

The decision to give autonomous status to CMSO was taken by the health ministry after consulting the report submitted by a team of health officials from CMSO who had recently visited Tamil Nadu to study the functioning and modus operandi adopted by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC).

The proposed move will help CMSO to become a separate entity with autonomous powers that will empower and strengthen CMSO's role in the procurement and supply of medicines free of cost to all of the government hospitals in the State. The CMSO currently functions as one of the body under the health ministry which is exclusively run with the support of government exchequer.

Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat FDCA pointed out that giving CMSO an autonomous status will not only make the body more efficient and self reliant but it will also allow it to become financially independent as well.

He added, “Today the health ministry allocates the funds for the activities carried out under the aegis of CMSO which at times becomes time consuming and cumbersome due to its bureaucratic and long administrative process. With the organisation becoming an independent body, it will be entitled to receive more funds exclusively for the purpose of drug procurement and distribution activities which can be strategically used to ensure the availability and supply of essential and lifesaving drugs to the poorest of the poor in the state.”

CMSO which has around 100 plus drugs including life saving drugs in the list of its essential medicines provides medicines for almost all the diseases except for those, for which, the Government has already provided a separate scheme like for malaria, malnutrition etc. At present the funds allocated by the health ministry for the various activities conducted under the CMSO scheme is approximately Rs.80 crore per annum.

“Through this move the health ministry wants to ensure that CMSO becomes an autonomous body that will give it a wider role to play in the drug procurement and distribution activities. It is a known fact that TNMSC is considered to be one of the best drug procurement services in the country by the Central government. Thus adopting the TNMSC model will be very beneficial to the state as it will ensure better transparency and speedy delivery of services to the patients,” Dr Koshia stressed.