New Delhi: The Delhi government has announced the opening of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras across all state-run hospitals to make affordable healthcare accessible. This will allow patients to access inexpensive medicines easily.
What are Jan Aushadhi Kendras?
Jan Aushadhi Kendras are government medical stores that provide World Health Organization (WHO)-approved medicines and medical supplies at significantly lower prices—ranging from 50 per cent to 90 per cent cheaper than branded alternatives.
These stores generally stock more than 2,000 quality generic medicines and 300 surgical devices to address a wide range of therapeutic needs, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer treatments, diabetes care, anti-infective medications, anti-allergy drugs, gastrointestinal solutions and nutraceuticals.
Significance of the Initiative
According to the official guidelines, all Delhi government hospitals—except Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathic facilities— will have to set up at least one Jan Aushadhi Kendra on their premises.
Hence, patients will no longer have to buy expensive medications from private pharmacies, as they will be able to obtain high-quality generic counterparts at much-reduced prices from the Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
In case of emergencies, where a particular medicine is unavailable at a health facility, hospitals will be permitted to procure it from Jan Aushadhi Kendras instead of relying on local purchases unless necessary.
Senior health department officials stated that the government has decided to open these pharmacies earlier this month. Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh has instructed medical superintendents and health officials to streamline medicine procurement through the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) under the central government’s Department of Pharmaceuticals.
To facilitate this, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Centre, ensuring efficient procurement of medicines across all government hospitals.
Hospitals that have already established medical centres
Many hospitals, including GB Pant Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, Guru Nanak Eye Centre, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, have already begun with the process of establishing these medical stores.
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