The Ministry of Health issued a list of 307 essential drugs on Tuesday that doctors are obligated to prescribe first as part of a medical reform plan that aims to provide an adequate supply of medicines, especially in rural areas, and cut patient costs.
But some experts said the new list would not solve the problem of high medical costs.
The list, which will come into effect on September 21, features 205 medicines produced in the laboratory and 102 made naturally from Chinese herbs. In addition, a third group of medicines is being listed for the first time that have been converted from herbal form into tablet form, but no number was given.
The 307 drugs make up fewer than one-sixth of the 2,033 drugs on the current list, which was issued five years ago.
'The cost of all drugs on the 2009 essential-drugs list can be recovered ... but for the 2004 essential-drugs list, the cost of only part of 2,033 drugs could be reclaimed,' the ministry said in a statement accompanying the list.
In compiling the new list, the ministry left out six categories of drugs, including those with components from endangered species of animals and plants, those meant to help patients feel better generally without targeting a specific symptom and nutritional supplements, and those that doctors do not consider a top priority in treatment.
