Gujarat Congress promises free and cheaper drugs, medical insurance scheme and more (Video)

Ahmedabad, 28 August 2012

Announcing another bunch of sops under its 12-point poll agenda ‘Gujarat Praja Vikas Darshan-2012’, Gujarat Congress leaders Arjun Modhwadia, Shaktisinh Gohil and Shankersinh Vaghela today in a media interaction held in Ahmedabad, promised formation of an independent body ‘Gujarat Medical Service Corporation (GMSC)’ to provide life saving drugs for free if elected to power in the state. The leaders also announced modernization of health infrastructure, recruitment of medical and para medical staff and government sponsored insurance cover for middle class patients upto Rs 30,000.

The announcements made today are listed here:

-Formation of independent body Gujarat Medical Service Corporation (GMSC), similar to Rajasthan’s Congress government.

-Life saving drugs to be provided for free. Around 250 essential drugs in the World Health Organization list will be made available for free.

-Medicines will be made available in generic form in each government hospital. At present in government hospitals of Gujarat branded medicines are available at 15 time more price. If these medicines are purchased in generic form, one can get medicine at Rs 3,000 instead of present cost of Rs 30,000. Congress government will set up stalls of generic medicines in each government hospital. This will make availability of best medicines and will result into 70% cut in treatment cost. National Sampe Survey Organization (NSSO) has showed in its survey that after introducing generic medicines, a cost of medicine which was Rs 3,187 earlier could be made available at Rs 255 Rs.

-Middle class people will be provided costly medicines of disease like cancer, heart, kidney for free and on negligible rates.

-Civil hospitals, public and primary health centers will be modernized and doctors and para medical staff will be inducted with full scale payment.

-Health Insurance scheme for middle class will be launched with public partnership. The state government will pay yearly premium of upto Rs 30,000 per year. For additional insurance cover, public partnership model will be implemented.

-At present, the government hospitals store and test blood using old technology due to which poor and middle class patients face problems. The Congress government will introduce N.A.T which is a world-class test facility.

-Yoga, gym and nature cure will be given importance. Alternate therapies like Ayurved, Homeopathy, Unani system will be strengthened.

-Gujarat’s per head health expenditure is Rs 270 while Mizoram spends Rs 1611, Sikkim 1466, Goa 1149, HP 884, Assam 471, Kerala 454, Chhattisgadh 371, Jharkhand 328, Uttar Pradesh 293. If elected to power, Congress will allocate more budget to match the national standards when it comes to per head health expenditure.