Zero Prescription Policy Hits by delay in Tendering Process for Mumbai Hospitals

The zero prescription policy aims to provide over 4,500 drug consumable services to patients at their doorsteps.

Mumbai's ambitious zero prescription policy, set to be enforced in civic hospitals from April, faces potential delays as an INR 2,300 Cr tender for medicine procurement was initiated just a few days ago.

The zero prescription policy was introduced in response to patient protests regarding the need to purchase medicines from private chemists due to the BMC's drug schedules not providing them.

The initiative, announced by CM Eknath Shinde last November, aims to provide free healthcare facilities to the residents of Mumbai. The policy includes free medicines at civic hospitals, doorstep delivery of drug consumables for senior citizens, improved infrastructure for cancer treatment, and digitization of records.

Civic-run medical colleges, including KEM, LTMG (Sion), BYL Nair, and RN Cooper, were tasked with compiling a comprehensive list of medicines, implants, consumables, and other necessary items for treatment.

Tendering Process Initiated, But Potential Delays Loom

Despite the announcement of the policy launch in April, the recent initiation of a tender for medicine procurement indicates potential delays in implementation.

The tender, valued at INR 2,300 Cr, was floated four days ago. Commenting on the same, additional municipal commissioner Sudhakar Shinde said, "The medical colleges have given a collective list of 5,000 medicines and other items which they routinely require. It's an exhaustive list and covers nearly every possible item that is needed."

Bids for the tender are expected within three weeks, with additional time required for finalization. Sudhakar Shinde estimates that it may take a little over a month to roll out the zero prescription policy, pushing the implementation beyond the initially planned April launch.

The BMC currently operates with 13 schedules containing 1,779 items needed in hospitals. However, a civic source revealed that these schedules had not been regularly updated since 2014, leading to individual hospitals making purchases worth crores for medicines not on the schedules.

Medical colleges argue that blame should not be solely placed on them for not updating the list, as the BMC has also failed to procure medicines on time.

What is Zero Prescription Policy?

The zero prescription policy aims to provide over 4,500 drug consumable services to patients at their doorsteps. Reportedly, the common public has incurred around INR 5,000 Cr in expenses for drugs, consumables, and disposables.

BMC plans to spend at least INR 1,500 Cr to provide these benefits, leveraging the advantages of quantities and economies of scale. BMC allocates 15% of its budget to healthcare, a significantly higher proportion than any other state in the country.

During the budget presentation, BMC Chief I S Chahal revealed that the scheme would be limited to Mumbaikars, sparking opposition from various parties.

Concerns were raised about potential discrimination against non-residents of Mumbai. In response, Chahal announced the formation of a committee to determine treatment fees that patients from outside Mumbai must pay in civic-run hospitals.

While the zero prescription policy holds promise for improving healthcare accessibility and affordability in Mumbai, the recent tendering process delay underscores the challenges associated with implementing large-scale healthcare initiatives.

The success of the policy will likely depend on efficient execution, continued updates to medical schedules, and collaboration between BMC and medical colleges to streamline procurement processes.

In another healthcare development, last month, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde announced that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a loan of INR 4,000 Cr to enhance medical facilities in the state.

The loan is intended to support the development of a 500-bed hospital in Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad). Additionally, the ADB has suggested seven key improvements at the administrative and medical education levels.

As suggested by the ADB, the seven key areas of improvement include establishing a center of excellence, digital medical education and health policy, e-hospital initiatives, encouragement for medical officers and staff, property management, sustainability policy, and recruitment centers.