KATHMANDU, April 1: Primary Health Revitalization Division (PHRD) of the Department of Health Services (DoHS) has proposed to increase the list of medicines for non-communicable diseases to be distributed free of cost through government health facilities.
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Officials at the PHRD said that they made such proposal as the problems of non-communicable diseases have surpassed that of the communicable diseases.
"We have proposed to increase about 10 additional medicines of non-communicable diseases to distribute free of cost," Dr Ramesh Kharel, director at the PHRD, said. He informed that the proposed drugs include medicines of respiratory, mental health and cardiovascular diseases.According to Dr Kharel, the PHRD will provide the additional medicines only from few districts in the first phase as it is costlier. "Though it is expensive, we can manage it from the budget allocated for the free medicine program," Dr Kharel added.
Out of 70 types of essential medicines, which are supposed to be distributed free of cost from the government health facilities, the PHRD had purchased 56 medicines in the ongoing fiscal year.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) provides 70 types of medicines of communicable and non-communicable diseases from government health facilities across the country.
