Many medicines on the list are never prescribed by docs
KATHMANDU, Aug 16: Primary Health Revitalization Division (PHRD) of the Department of Health Services (DoHS) said that it has decided to hold a review meeting to revise the essential drugs list to make it more practical. The meeting is expected to include additional medicines for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the revised list, officials said.

Dr Mohamad Daud, director at the PHRD, said, some of the medicines in the essential drugs list are hardly used and doctors rarely prescribe them to patients.

Health facilities across the country lack most of the drugs in the current list throughout the year.

Demand for some medicines in the list is so little that health workers keep them in stock just to destroy after they are past their expiry date.  

“We will do our best to make the drugs list more practical,” claimed Dr Daud.  

The Ministry of Health (MoH) provides 70 types of medicines free of cost through government health facilities across the country.  

“We have already been providing medicines for non communicable disease like diabetes, heart disease, mental health diseases and others free of cost,” he said, adding, "The review meeting is likely to add more medicines for diabetes.”

He claimed that the government will not have to set aside additional budget for new type of medicines after dropping the few unused types from the list.
The PHRD informed that it has directed all the district health facilities to start the drug procurement process to end the perennial drug crisis in the health facilities.

Officials said that they have also urged the Logistic Management Division (LMD) of the DoHS and the Regional Health Directorates to supply medicines to the health facilities.

 
• primary health revitalization division
 
• department of health services
 
• drugs list