Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the Health Department to prepare a new Essential Drugs List aimed at ensuring the availability of quality medicines for patients across government health institutions in the state.
The directive was issued during a review meeting of the Health Department held on Tuesday evening. The proposed list will be examined by a High Power Committee before implementation.
The Chief Minister underlined that the move toward direct procurement from manufacturers is a strategic step to improve supply chain transparency, reduce delays caused by intermediaries, and ensure a steady availability of life-saving medicines, with necessary provisions to support the initiative.
The Chief Minister also ordered the strengthening of sampling and quality testing mechanisms for medicines supplied to government health facilities. As part of this initiative, dedicated quality-testing cells will be established in each medical college in the state, supported with adequate staffing, training, and required equipment. In the first phase, these cells will be set up at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Tanda.
Additionally, strict quality checks will be enforced on medicines manufactured by pharmaceutical companies operating in Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister instructed officials to strictly implement the provisions of Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, which govern good manufacturing practices in India, reaffirming the government’s commitment to safeguarding patient health.
The meeting was attended by Health Secretary M. Sudha Devi, Special Secretary Ashwani Kumar, Director AYUSH Nipun Jindal, Director Medical Education Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Director Health Services Dr. Gopal Berry, along with other senior officials.
