4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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Display of real time ranking of all Circle Offices on the basis of their performances resulted into a very rare phenomenon of internal competition among government officers for better ranking.
Integration between stakeholders allowed exchange of information.
Mass SMS alerts for “Not of Standard Quality Drug” (NSQ) sent to all dealers, Government Hospitals, GMSCL, Drugs Inspectors, Drugs Controllers of other States, media personnel ensures immediate taboo on sub standard drugs.
Information made available in the public domain on XLN’s web site includes NSQ drugs, pharmacies, Blood Banks, upcoming Blood Donation camps, availability of particular Blood Group and Blood Component etc. On the basis of the batch no. of the drug purchased, it can be verified whether the drug has been declared as NSQ or not through the XLN web site or by sending an SMS [XLN BATBatch no.] to 9227500958. Other information which can be availed through SMSincludes Pharmacist’s name & current location and availability of particular Blood Group in nearby Blood Banks. The applicant can also get status of his/her application through SMS.
Replication of XLN in other ten States allows seamless exchange of interstate information.
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5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Stakeholders involved in implementation and maintenance of XLN are:
1. All circle offices of FDCA, FDCA’s Head Office
2. Food & Drug Laboratory (FDL), Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (earlier known as Central Medical Stores Organization - CMSO) (Government of Gujarat’s central drug purchasing & distributing agency to all Government hospitals & dispensaries)
3. Gujarat State Pharmacy Council,
4. Pharmacies (Retailers) and Wholesalers of drugs
5. Blood Banks
6. National Informatics Center, Gujarat
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6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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1. Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN) was already existing and hence the infrastructure could be leveraged for XLN
2. Internet connectivity was obtained through special permission from Government of Gujarat for few district offices where GSWAN connectivity was not available.
3. The computers and printers available with FDCA were made use of to reduce additional expenses.
4. We were also able to successfully leverage the experience of FDCA officials in streamlining operations.
5. National Informatics Center, Gujarat, was responsible for developing the solution, maintaining the database and supporting the technical aspects of the project.
6. Central Server hosting, mirroring of data and regular backups are being supported by NIC.
7. Arranging brainstorming workshops with FDCA officers, specially end users, and NIC team at regular intervals to upgrade the XLN.
8. Encouraging the users to communicate their feedback / suggestion through e-talk with the NIC team.
9. Encouraging the users to communicate with users of other districts through e-talk.
10. Though the software development & server hosting was done by Government of India’s department - NIC, NIC was required to appoint software engineers for several months to assist the NIC team and FDCA made payment of approx. Rs. 10,00,000 (Approx. US $ 20,000) as their salary. The funds were provided by the Government of Gujarat.
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7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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Stakeholders involved in implementation and maintenance of XLN are:
1. All circle offices of FDCA, FDCA’s Head Office
2. Food & Drug Laboratory (FDL), Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Ltd. (earlier known as Central Medical Stores Organization - CMSO) (Government of Gujarat’s central drug purchasing & distributing agency to all Government hospitals & dispensaries)
3. Gujarat State Pharmacy Council,
4. Pharmacies (Retailers) and Wholesalers of drugs
5. Blood Banks
6. National Informatics Center, Gujarat
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8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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1. Eradication of illegal multiple enrollment of pharmacists resulting in better compliance with law.
2. The system led to greater transparency, accountability and elimination of corrupt procedures.Decisions were made within the time frame. This was also the end of the so called “red tapism & bureaucracy” in the department.As a result of the system, the drug administration was better monitored. Update on the status of the application through SMS and online access was provided. eLicenses could also be printed by applicants.
3. Mass SMS alerts for “Not of Standard Quality Drug” (NSQ) is being sent to all dealers, Government Hospitals, GMSCL, Drugs Inspectors, Drugs Controllers of other States, and media personnel. This ensures immediate taboo on NSQ drugs and thus protects public health.
4. Information made available on XLN’s web site includes NSQ drugs, pharmacies, Blood Banks, upcoming Blood Donation camps, availability of particular Blood Group and Blood Component etc. On the basis of the batch no. of the drug purchased, it can be verified whether the drug has been declared as NSQ or not. This can be done through the XLN website or by sending an SMS “[XLN BATBatch no.]” to 9227500958. Other information on demand, through SMS, includes Reg. Pharmacist’s name and current location. Further, availability of particular Blood Group in nearby Blood Banks can also be checked. The applicant can also get status of his/her application information through SMS.
5. Display of real time ranking of all Circle Offices on the basis of their performances resulted into a very rare phenomenon of internal competition among government officers for better ranking.
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9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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1. GSWAN connectivity was not available in some of the Circle offices located in private buildings. Government of Gujarat granted special permission to obtain broad band internet connections to overcome this problem.
2. Government Officers and Clerical staff were not equipped with knowledge of basic computing. They were sent for computer training conducted by the Government training institutes.
3. Some of the Government Officers and Clerical staff were apprehensive about using XLN but the same was enforced by the FDCA Commissioner on all officials.
4. Computers and printers provided by Government were not sufficient as compared to the work. FDCA Officers had to wait for availability of computer even after office hours to complete the task. The FDCA Commissioner continuously followed up for sanctioning of more hardware and this was finally granted thereby bringing ease into operations.
5. Existing dealers were also issued user IDs and passwords to access the online information related to their firms, process online application and update their cell numbers. With the help of the local Chemist & Druggist Association and local FDCA officers, XLN has been able to build up the data base of mobile numbers.
6. As a part of extension of public service, it was decided to upload information of upcoming Blood Donation camps, Blood Stocks of each blood groups available with Blood Banks. All Blood Banks were personally contacted by the Circle Officers and they were given user IDs and passwords to key in daily stock of each blood group’s Blood Bags available with them. Constant pursuance by FDCA officer, Blood Banks’ willingness and positive response from citizens are the key to success for this project.
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