New Delhi: In view of spike in COVID-19 cases in some countries, the Central government has asked Pharma Companies to keep a close watch on global supply chain scenario in order to ensure adequate stocks and availability of all drugs including COVID drugs.
Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has reviewed the status, adequacy of COVID management drugs and production capacities with representatives of pharma companies through a VC.
Appreciating and congratulating the pharma companies for their invaluable contribution during the COVID pandemic in the country, Mandaviya said, “India’s pharmaceutical industry is robust, resilient and responsive. It is due to their strength that we could not only meet our down demand during the pandemic, but also be in a position to supply medicines to 150 countries.” This was achieved without any fall in quality and no hike in the price of the medicines, he stressed.
The pharma companies were asked to keep a close watch on the global supply chain scenario. They were also asked to closely monitor production and availability of APIs as well as formulations of essential medicines for COVID management. They were asked to ensure adequate stocks and availability of all drugs including COVID drugs in the supply chain up to the retail level.
The pharma companies hailed the timely review meeting chaired by the Union Minister and assured their continued support. They expressed confidence that they will be able to manage the supply chain of COVID drugs. Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, Ms. S Aparna, Secretary (Pharma), Kamlesh Pant, Chairman, NPPA, Dr V G Somani, DCGI, and representatives from pharmaceutical companies were present during the review meeting.
Healthcare providers to participate in beta-testing
The National Health Authority (NHA) is releasing the beta version of a lightweight, robust, and ABDM-compliant Hospital Management Information System (HMIS). This HMIS solution is envisioned to provide a digital platform for healthcare providers, particularly focusing on private clinics and small health facilities.
NHA is the nodal agency for implementing Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) which aims to develop the backbone for the digital health infrastructure in India. In line with this vision, it is leveraging the strengths of the CoWIN module to develop a new HMIS solution. This will accelerate the digitization of small clinics and improve the discoverability of healthcare providers in India.
The beta version of this HMIS offers the following features:
- ABDM compliant: Allows doctors to generate and fetch ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) for their patients.
- Facility Management: Allows doctors to manage their calendar, appointments, and patient details in a single window
- Digital Services: Allows doctors to view previous health records and prescriptions for registered patients and take video consultations
- e-prescription Services: Generate and share digital standardized prescriptions using a range of parameters with options to modify/customize the prescription layout
Healthcare providers can now use this new solution, share their valuable feedback, and play a role in shaping India’s digital healthcare ecosystem. Feedback from healthcare providers will be incorporated into the ABDM-enabled software to make it more robust.
To increase adoption and seek feedback on the HMIS from healthcare providers across the country, NHA will be organizing a virtual beta-testing workshop on 4th January, 2023 wherein healthcare providers will be invited to provide their valuable suggestions and become a part of India’s digital health revolution.