Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to formulate a guideline to facilitate the patients by providing them with medicines at affordable cost which would be available at all medicine outlets at all hospital premises in the state.

This was revealed at a high-level review meeting presided over by health and family welfare minister Prasanna Acharya at the State Secretariat here yesterday.

It was revealed at the meeting that at present there are around 200 medicine outlets at some hospitals in the state, a majority hospitals have no medicine outlets in their premises.

However, to ensure availability of these medicines, the meeting decided to open medicine outlets in all hospital of the state including the district headquarters hospital, sub divisional hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

The minister asked the department to formulate a specific guideline for opening of these medicines outlets within a week.

As the state government has decided to allow space for the medicine outlets inside the hospital premises, the proposed guideline will incorporate several provisions relating to prototype planning, changes in the existing license fees, and, above all, availability of medicines for the patients at the lowest possible cost.

The minister asked the department to maintain transparency during floating of tenders for the opening of these medicine outlets and ensure that the owners of these outlets are abided by the rules and regulations of the proposed guideline.

Among others, commissioner-cum-secretary, health and family welfare, P K Mohapatra, Director, Medical Education and Training, Director, Health Services, Director, Family Planning and senior officials of the concerned departments were present at the meeting.