Removal of medicines from CGHS List- Life saving Medicines

Member of Parliament Shri.Sardar Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa asked some important questions in respect of CGHS beneficiaries regarding the life saving medicines and concerned minister has given reply on this issue as follows…

With a view to streamline the issue of medicines, an Office Memorandum was issued on 25.08.2014. Under the revised guidelines:

I. CGHS provides/ indents Medicines as per the CGHS formulary, which contains 622 branded medicines and 1447 generic medicines.

II. However, anti-Cancer and other related medicines also called Life-saving medicines, approved by Drug Controller General of India for use in India shall continue to be provided on a case to case basis.

(d) : The following measures have since been taken to overcome the inconvenience caused to the beneficiaries:

i) Since, many beneficiaries were undergoing treatment and were provided certain Insulin’s and Gliptins for anti-diabetic care, it has been decided to permit issue of such medicines to ensure continuity in treatment even though they are not included in the formulary (as an interim measure till the formulary is revised).

ii) The medicines included in the formularies of ESIC(Employees State Insurance Corporation)( 398 generic medicines) and ECHS( Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme) (517 Generic medicines) are also permitted under CGHS as an interim measure.

iii) Orders were also issued on 1.10.2014 delegating powers to CMOs i/c for providing essential medicines to CGHS beneficiaries. CMOs i/c can issue / indent medicines costing upto Rs1500 per week even though they are not included in any of the above formularies. However, in case the duration of treatment is for more than one week and the cost of medicines is more than Rs.1500/- approval of Additional Director of the concerned CGHS city must be obtained.

iv) Medicines are issued for upto three months at a time in case of chronic diseases and upto six months in case of a CGHS beneficiary going abroad. The revised Orders were issued in this regard on 21.10.2014.