Health minister in Noida: To streamline drug supply, UP to start e-tender process

Purchase of pharmaceutical drugs for government supply across the state will soon be made through e-tendering, said health minister Siddharth Nath Singh. This is being done to “end corruption” and “streamline” supply of medicines in various government hospitals and health centres in the state, he said.

The minister was in Noida on Monday to review the functioning of the health departments in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts.

Answering a question on scarcity of drugs at the district hospital in Noida, Singh said it has been decided that pharmaceutical drugs for the entire state will be purchased online.

“We are going to make drug purchasing centralized and do it through e-tendering. It has been seen that in the previous regime, medicine shortage in government hospitals was caused purposely for corrupt practices. The new exercise of e-tendering will end corruption,” he said.

Singh said preference will be given for purchase of generic drugs through the department of pharmaceuticals, Union ministry of chemicals & fertilizers that runs Jan Aushadhi. “Jan Aushadhi is a central government project that provides quality medicines at affordable prices,” he said.

Singh said he has spoken to Union minister of chemicals & fertilizers Anant Kumar and a joint secretary of the Jan Aushadhi department will be visiting Lucknow on April 20. “Nearly 400 generic drugs will be supplied by the Jan Aushadhi department to government health institutions in the state,” he said.

The minister said in the next six months, 90% of the drugs required in government hospitals and health centres will be procured through e-tendering.

Singh said all these problems will soon be taken care of as the health department has decided to make purchase centralised through e-tendering.

The minister said there is a dire need to upgrade health infrastructure in the state. “There is a shortfall of 6,500 doctors in Uttar Pradesh. Shortage of doctors and paramedical staff needs to be addressed. We will take it up, not in the cabinet meeting on April 18, but certainly the next time the cabinet meets to fulfil the human resource shortage whether through state public commission or other means. More hospitals are needed and the bed strength of the existing health centres will be increased,” Singh said.