Jaipur, Jul 18 (PTI) The Rajasthan government has removed 69 pharmacies from the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS) panel and took punitive action against several others over alleged irregularities, officials said on Saturday.
The action stems from a “zero tolerance” policy adopted by the state government to ensure transparency, financial discipline and accountability in the scheme. According to officials, 58 allopathic and 11 ayurvedic pharmacy stores have been delisted from the RGHS.
Authorities have cancelled the licences of 14 allopathic pharmacies and initiated the process to revoke the licences of the remaining stores by writing to the concerned officials.
In addition, transaction management systems (TMS) for 10 empanelled pharmacies have been temporarily suspended for allegedly billing medicines at rates significantly higher than prevailing market prices.
Medical and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said the government is committed to ensuring beneficiaries receive quality medicines according to the rules and warned that strict action would continue against any irregularities.
Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Gayatri Rathore said investigations revealed instances where expensive medicines were prescribed even for minor ailments, creating an unnecessary financial burden on the state exchequer.
“In some cases, medicines costing over Rs 10,000 were prescribed for common conditions, which is a matter of concern. Action is being taken against the concerned doctors and empanelled pharmacies, including recovery of payments,” she said.
Officials said cases of inflated billing have also come to light.
For instance, an injection with a market price of around Rs 6,500 was claimed at up to Rs 18,000. Officials asked pharmacies involved in suspicious pricing or procurement practices to furnish purchase bills and related documents for verification.
They also issued notices to pharmacies failing to supply medicines to beneficiaries, stating that the TMS of such pharmacies may be suspended if the lapse continues for over a month.
The Rajasthan State Health Assurance Agency (RSHAA) issued fresh guidelines to empanelled pharmacies, mandating accurate details, such as approved pack size, product code and maximum retail price (MRP), in claims. Officials said strict action will also be taken against pharmacies found selling generic medicines as branded ones or submitting unverifiable claims.
RSHAA CEO Harjeelal Atal said all empanelled pharmacies have been directed to strictly comply with the new norms to strengthen transparency and accountability.
He said pharmacies that adhere to rules and maintain high standards would receive a “green flag” recognition to identify and encourage them.
Additional CEO Nidhi Patel said claims must be supported by genuine purchase bills, GST invoices and stock records, and any artificial price inflation or incorrect mapping would invite penalties and recovery of excess payments. PTI AG ASD ASD
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