For transparency, drug purchase details to be put on the web

The state Health Department has decided to put up the names of drugs purchased along with the names of beneficiaries on a web-based computerised system so as to make local purchase of drugs more transparent.

The system is being developed by Uttar Pradesh Health System Strengthening Project (UPHSSP), a project funded by World Bank.

The decision is part of the new drug policy released by the state government last week. The policy has also given final shape to procurement of certain branded medicines for hospitals. This is the first time that the state government has introduced purchase of branded medicines for government hospitals apart from generic drugs.

According to the policy, the web-based system will be developed for warehouse management of drugs, purchase orders, supply, sampling and test of medicines as well as payment for supply. The daily accounts of medicines procured under local purchase will be uploaded on this web-based system. The account will include the name of the medicine, quantity, rate as well as the name of the beneficiary. Local purchase is done by government hospitals and Chief Medical Officers (CMO) in the districts for those drugs that are not available in the hospitals' medicine depots.

Further, each CMO and Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) will update the requirement and consumption of medicines on a daily basis on the web-based system. The Health Department, through UPHSSP and NRHM, will also build warehouses at district as well as divisional headquarters.

Another significant change in the drug policy is that merely 20 per cent of the total drugs will now be purchased at the central level. The remaining 80 per cent will be procured directly at the district level and the payment will also be done at the districts. Last year, the department adopted a drug policy according to which 80 per cent of the medicines were to be procurement at the central level.

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