Jammu, Feb 8 (PTI) With the state drug policy put in place, Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to constitute a committee comprising medical experts for preparing a list of essential medicines. The Department of Health and Medical Education will set up the 'State Drug Committee' which will be responsible for initially preparing and subsequently updating the essential drug list every two years for the public, Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma said today. The panel, headed by principals of government medical colleges in the state, will comprise directors of health services, controller of drug and food control organisation, clinicians, pharmacologists, microbiologists, qualified pharmacists and independent experts in the field. Under the state drug policy, essential drugs will be selected on the basis of their therapeutic need, cost effectiveness, relevance to state morbidity and mortality pattern, safety, quality and efficacy, ease and safety in administration and dispensing, among others. The state has adopted the new drugs policy to ensure accessibility of medicines and make them affordable for people.
