Costly essential medicines at Government outlets

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Costly essential medicines will be sold through 75 government and co-operative outlets in the first leg of a project to prevent exploitation of the public by pharma companies, Health Minister Adoor Prakash said.Briefing the media on a meeting between the State Government and representatives of 71 pharmaceutical companies, the Minister said that the medicines would be supplied through Neethi Medical Stores, Supplyco outlets, stores run by hospital development committees and co-operatives.This is a beginning. We are starting it on an experimental basis, and will expand the network to benefit more people in subsequent stages, he said. The meeting presided over by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the State Assembly follows a government promise to rein in soaring prices of essential medicines.Further negotiations are planned with the pharma companies on what all medicines can be sold through said outlets cheaply.An expert committee of doctors have prepared a list of 840 medicines that needs to be sold at cost-effective prices to the public. On September 20 and 21, Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan and Medical Services Corporation MD Biju Prabhakar had held preliminary talks with the pharma firms in Mumbai and Bangalore.No interference will be tolerated from any organisation with the government’s plans to make available medicines cheaper, the Health Minister said.