Third plant of Essential Drugs to open in July

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the third plant of Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) in Gopalganj beside Dhaka-Khulna Highway in the last week of July, reports UNB.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim disclosed this to reporters at a press briefing at the secretariat on Wednesday.

Presently, the government provides a total of 72 per cent of medicines free of cost at government hospitals and community clinics, he said.

The remaining 28 per cent medicines are procured from the market, he added.

"But after establishment of third EDCL plant, the government will be able to provide 100 per cent medicines at government and community hospitals free of cost," he said.

"Work on the Tk 6.0 billion plant project began in 2015, which is now in the final stage," the minister said.