Health Ministry releases order over issue of medicines; states guidelines amid Coronavirus

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Saturday issued another order over the issuing of medicines to patients. Issuing the guidelines, the Ministry stated that the CMO and other CGHS staff will be informed about the same to ensure a strict compliance. 

The order stated, "Medicines may be issued/indented for 3 months at a time (in chronic diseases) through an authorised representative in the following special circumstances without the requirement of the beneficiary himself/herself visiting wellness centre." 

Coronavirus cases in India

As of date, India has reported over 850 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the most in the country. Meanwhile, 19 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Due to the outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had put India under a national lockdown for 21 days. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar.  

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The Coronavirus crisis

Presently, there are around 594,377 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 27,250 people. Meanwhile, around 133,006 people have reportedly recovered. Currently, as per reports, the hardest-hit region is the United States of America, followed by China, and then Italy, Iran and South Korea, where the number of cases is rising by the hour.

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