In his reply, Mandaviya said the Government will soon come out with a policy on research and development in the medical sector.
(file photo)
The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021 today received Parliamentary approval with its passage by the Rajya Sabha.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the Bill, already passed by the Lok Sabha, was aimed at encouraging medical research which India needed to pursue on a greater scale.
The Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, and the CPI (M) were among the Opposition parties which participated in the debate on the Bill along with the BJP and its allies.
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In his reply, Mandaviya said the Government will soon come out with a policy on research and development in the medical sector.
He said the Government had taken several steps to provide medical care at an affordable cost. The provision of vaccines against Covid was made on a large scale.
Several thousand Jan Aushadi Kendras have been opened to provide medicines at reasonable rates. A ceiling was imposed on the maximum price of stents for heart surgeries, as well as, on 1000 essential medicines.
The Bill declares six additional National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research as Institutions of National Importance. These institutes are located in Ahmedabad, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Rae Bareli.
The Bill provides for a Council to coordinate the activities among the institutes to ensure the development of pharmaceutical education and research and maintenance of standards.
Functions of the Council will include advising on matters related to course duration, admission standards in the institutes, examining and approving development plans of the institutes, and examining annual budget estimates of the institutes for recommendations to the Central Government for allocation of funds.
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