What this scheme offers
Launched in October 2011, Rajasthan's free medicine scheme was one of the first of its scale in India and is credited with influencing similar schemes elsewhere. The idea is simple: a patient shouldn't have to choose between buying prescribed medicine and other household needs when they're already sick. The scheme runs through the e-Aushadhi system — a computerised drug-inventory network across thousands of distribution centres — that tracks stock so medicines are actually available rather than just notified on paper. Coverage has expanded over the years to hundreds of medicines and surgical items, plus free diagnostic tests under the linked Nishulk Janch component; the exact current list changes periodically, so treat any specific count as a snapshot rather than a permanent figure.
Who is eligible
- Any patient at a Rajasthan government hospital, dispensary or health centre.
- No income test, no card, no advance registration — available to any patient at the point of care.
Documents required
- None required — a prescription from the treating government doctor is enough
How to apply
- Visit any government hospital, community health centre or dispensary in Rajasthan.
- Get examined and prescribed medicine by the government doctor.
- Collect the prescribed medicines free of cost from the hospital's drug counter, tracked through the e-Aushadhi system.
- For diagnostic tests, ask the treating doctor whether it falls under the free Nishulk Janch list — many common tests do.