Assam Govt Ensures 100% Essential Drug Supply in State Hospitals: Ashok Singhal

Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Ashok Singhal on Tuesday announced that all government hospitals in the state will now have 100 per cent availability of essential medicines. He was addressing a press conference at the Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur.

The minister informed that the Health Department has undertaken continuous efforts to ensure that essential drugs are available in every government hospital. To strengthen the supply chain, the government has introduced technology-driven monitoring systems to track medicine availability across hospitals.

Currently, the availability of medicines stands at:

• 352 types in medical colleges,
• 261 types in district hospitals,
• 261 types in sub-divisional hospitals,
• 261 types in community health centres,
• 125 types in primary health centres, and
• 30 types in sub-health centres.

He further appealed to the public to immediately report cases of medicine shortages in government hospitals through WhatsApp on 9864541430.

Highlighting progress in healthcare services, Singhal said that in the last two months, nine caesarean surgeries have been successfully conducted in remote areas of the state. He assured that this number will be increased soon. The government also aims to expand the number of First Referral Units (FRUs) to 100 by the end of this year.

The minister said that under the ‘Durgamor pora Sugam’ scheme, newly appointed doctors are mandated to serve at least one year in remote areas, which has significantly benefited people in interior regions.

When asked about the rising number of HIV cases in Assam, Singhal stated that the department has already intensified awareness campaigns and adopted necessary preventive measures. “However, government initiatives alone are not enough; society also has a crucial role to play in combating HIV,” he added.

The press conference was also attended by Dr. P. Ashok Babu, Commissioner and Secretary of the Health Department, Dr. Lakshmanan S, Mission Director of National Health Mission Assam, and Dr. Manoj Kumar Choudhury, Executive Director.

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