Gandhinagar: Health Minister Praful Panseria today announced that the Gujarat Government has significantly expanded the Essential Drugs List (EDL) for the year 2025–26. After reviewing 1,386 drugs listed for 2024–25, the Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (GMSCL) has added 150 new drugs and removed 57 unnecessary ones.

As a result, a total of 1,479 medicines, surgical items, and diagnostic supplies will now be made available to patients in the coming year.

The Health Minister said that it is the state government’s moral responsibility to provide quality healthcare services to citizens. The government revises the Essential Drugs List every year for the procurement of medicines. All medicines and surgical items included in the EDL will be provided free of cost at every level—from primary health centres in rural and urban areas to hospitals attached to medical colleges across the state.

Providing further details, he said the state’s Essential Drugs List includes 378 drugs at the primary level, 628 at the secondary level, and 1,475 at the tertiary level.

Highlighting the expansion of medicines for major diseases, the minister said there has been a significant increase in life-saving drug categories compared to the previous year. Anti-infective medicines have increased from 202 to 216, respiratory system drugs from 29 to 40, eye medicines from 51 to 58, and gastrointestinal drugs from 52 to 56. The number of medical devices has also risen from 287 to 349.

He further said that the EDL for 2025–26 includes a wide range of medicines, including 116 for heart diseases, 56 for cancer, 75 for neurological disorders, and 43 for mental health conditions, thereby strengthening the state’s healthcare services.

The state government reviews and updates the drug formulary every year to ensure that patients receive modern and effective treatment, the minister added. DeshGujarat