Nepal's Health Ministry Urges Domestic Drug Manufacturers to Produce 98 Essential Medicines Locally

Kathmandu. The Ministry of Health and Population has urged Nepali drug industrialists to fully produce 98 types of essential medicines designated by the government within the country itself.

Speaking at an event organized by the Health Journalists Forum Nepal in Lalitpur on Friday, Dr. Chumanlal Das, Chief of the Ministry's Policy and Planning Division, stated that domestic industries should take this up as a social responsibility to facilitate production and supply.

According to him, domestic production currently meets only about 40 to 50 percent of the total demand. He emphasized that domestic industries must increase their production capacity to replace medicines imported from abroad.

Das clarified that the Ministry intends to prioritize the procurement of domestically produced medicines, but stressed that industrialists should not compromise on price and quality.

He said, "We need cheap, quality, and sufficient medicines. In the first phase, the Ministry desires that domestic industries produce the 98 types of essential medicines specified by the government. This will help in making medicines easily accessible up to the local village level. We cannot replace imported medicines without expanding capacity; we cannot just sit by saying we can only make 40-45 medicines ourselves."

He stated that the state would fully support industrialists if they provide quality medicines at affordable prices while fulfilling their social responsibility.

Das expressed concern that despite the good quality of medicines produced by Nepali drug industries, a misconception about them being 'substandard' is spreading in the market. He noted that effective communication and advocacy are necessary to dispel such myths and rumors.

Das drew attention to the situation where industrialists claim their products are high quality, the Ministry purchases them, yet rumors circulate outside that the medicines bought by government agencies are substandard.

He suggested that the public needs to be informed about drug quality, similar to the 'Risk Communication and Community Engagement' model used during disasters. He believes that clarifying the quality of domestic medicines to the public benefits both the Ministry and the producers.

He said, "We claim to produce quality medicines, and the Supply Division buys them, but externally, there are claims that substandard medicines were purchased. Why is this happening? Surely, our communication and advocacy have fallen short. Communication must be strengthened to minimize rumors. This increases public trust in domestic production and benefits the industry as well."

The Ministry has urged Nepali drug industries to increase production, stating that there is no shortage of market demand. Das mentioned that the currently operating Health Insurance Program is the largest consumer of medicines, ensuring easy consumption of produced drugs.

Clarifying that domestic industries will not face a market shortage if they increase production, he added that once domestic demand is met, remaining medicines can be exported, which will help strengthen the state's economy.