2010-07-05 2343
Source: China News Network
Chongqing, February 4th (By Zhang Ying) - It was announced at the 2010 Chongqing Health Work Conference held today that the city will initiate a pilot program for the national essential drug system at the end of this month.
Qu Qian, the director of Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau, revealed at the conference that the pilot program for the national essential drug system will first be launched in the 9 main urban districts of Chongqing and 6 regional center cities, and it is planned to expand to all 25 districts and counties of the city within the year. In the pilot areas, primary healthcare institutions at the grassroots level will be equipped with and use essential drugs exclusively, and these drugs will be sold at zero mark-up, provided to patients at the "purchase price."
Qu Qian stated that establishing the essential drug system is a crucial step in deepening the reform of the medical and healthcare system, as well as an important measure to eliminate the problem of medical institutions relying on drug sales for revenue and reduce the burden of basic medication expenses on the public. The Municipal Health Bureau will further improve the detailed rules for centralized bidding and distribution of essential drugs throughout the city, expedite the selection process for the supplementary catalog of essential drugs in Chongqing, in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the pilot program for the essential drug system and effectively meet the medication needs of the grassroots population.
On August 18, 2009, the Ministry of Health, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Supervision, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Food and Drug Administration, and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Establishing the National Essential Drug System," officially launching the construction of the national essential drug system. The opinions state that essential drugs are medications that meet the basic medical and healthcare needs of China, with appropriate formulations, reasonable prices, guaranteed supply, and accessible to the public on a fair basis. Government-run primary healthcare institutions must be equipped with and use essential drugs exclusively, and other types of medical institutions must also prioritize the use of essential drugs as stipulated.