The members of Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers have urged the government to ensure the availability of medicines at affordable prices, especially the essential and life-saving medicines.

The call by the members to this effect came at a meeting of the panel here on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Srikant Jena. It was called to discuss on “Availability and Price Control of Essential Medicines in the Country”.

Jena said that government is committed to ensure the availability and control the price of essential and life saving medicines. He said the Department of Pharmaceuticals prepared a draft National Pharmaceuticals Policy after extensive discussions with various stakeholders. The salient features of the policy are -strengthening of drug regulatory system, strengthening of patent office infrastructure, streamlining of system of bulk procurement of drugs by government, promotion of generic drugs, Scheme for providing accessibility of drugs to the poor especially BPL families, Modified system of drug price control by bringing specified essential medicines under price control with enhanced margins and restructuring and strengthening of NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Price Authority, etc.

The Minister said the Government was also taking all possible measures to provide good quality medicines in affordable price under Jan Aushadhi scheme.

Lok Sabha members Premdas Katheria, K Bhaskarrao Patil,  Jagdish Sharma, Tarachand Bhagora and Rajya Sabha members Ganga Charan,  Dr Mahendra Prasad, and K N Balgopal , apart from special invitee Rajaiah Siricilla were present in the meeting.