UPDATE: Another one bites the dust
By deciding to make a list of essential diagnostics, the big daddies of Indian health policymaking have taken the first step towards a milestone. The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) was just a list before it set the price of hundreds of medicines. Last year, the list grew to include medical devices—cardiac stents and knee implants. On 12 March, the Health Ministry and NITI Aayog consulted to create another list of essential diagnostics.
What comes next is anyone’s guess.
After three months of discussions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has convinced the health ministry to make certain diagnostics affordable.