THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state has welcomed the decision of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to raise the ceiling price of 21 essential medicines. According to Health Minister K K Shailaja, this will help make available those drugs which are used in the first line of treatment and are crucial to the public health programmes of the country.
“In the state, medicine distribution is entrusted with the Kerala State Medical Services Corporation Limited. It had been inviting tenders for almost two years to make these drugs available in the state. However, not a single company turned up. This move of the NPPA might finally change the situation,” said Shailaja.
Meanwhile, NPPA stated that many companies applied for discontinuation of the product on account of unavailability in the market, forcing the public to switch to costly alternatives. Taking into account the same and to ensure the availability of life-saving drugs at all times, NPPA decided to invoke its powers of upward revision of ceiling prices for 21 essential medicines and implemented a one-time hike of 50 per cent from the present price.
