Odisha govt to issue Medicine Passbooks under Niramaya Scheme

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed the Health department to start issue medicine passbooks to the beneficiaries of the ‘Niramaya Yojana’.

The Chief Minister further directed Health department officials to provide timely delivery of medicines to all health centers and prepare a road map to provide radiological and pathological diagnostics at different medical colleges, district headquarters hospitals and other health institutions.

According to the sources, medicine passbooks will begin from Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre, Cuttack.

The Niramaya Scheme which was came into force in the state on May 1, 2015. Around  59.25 lakh patients have benefited under the scheme. The scheme has been extended to almost all Community Health Centres (CHCs) in the state.

It was decided that Odisha State Medical Corporation (OSMC) would begin procurement of medicine for the year 2016-17 by August 1. Around 421 varieties of medicines are distributed under the Niramaya Scheme, sources said.