Utilisation of drugs to be doubled in two years: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Union Health and family minister today said the utilisation of drugs in the country is going to be doubled in the next two to three years with the strengthening and expansion of rural health programme.

With sanctioning of Rs16,000 crore under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), there is going to be increase in creating and strengthening infrastructure at district, primary health centre and subcentre levels in order to provide affordable, and quality health care, Azad said.

"Therefore, the utilisation of drugs in the country is going to be doubled in the next two to three years," Azad said addressing the leaders of pharma industry after inaugurating the Zonal FDA office and Central Drug Testing laboratory here. He asked the pharma industries to open hospitals in the district and rural areas so that they will also also benefit.

Azad said NRHM has added over 15,000 MBBS and AYUSH doctors, seven lakh trained health workers and more than 70,000 nurses in the last two years. "We are still facing a shortage of trained and qualified manpower at all levels - specialists, doctors, nurses and paramedicals."