New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- The health ministry is mapping the domestic manufacturing capacity of 153 specialized medicines and identifying potential suppliers in a bid to boost the availability of critical drugs to beneficiaries of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), according to two government officials and a document reviewed by Mint.

The government currently procures these specialized drugs on a case-by-case basis after individual prescriptions are submitted. This often results in prolonged wait times and personal expenses for patients.

As part of the new plan to speed up drug procurement, CGHS has directed pharmaceutical manufacturers and authorized importers to submit regulatory and production filings for these oncology, diabe...