Medicines Protect Health and Save Lives. But Medicines cost money and spending on them constituted a major component of out-of-POCKET Expenditure. To alleviate this stress on Citizens, The Government Provides free medicines through public hospitals and through over 1.7 Lakh Ayushman Argya Mandirs. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Arogya Yojana (Ab PMJAY) Provides Free Inpatient Care, Including all the Necessary Medicines, to over 55 Crore Individuals. Price of many essential drugs are also registered.
These efforts have contributed to a consistent decline in out-of-track experture-From 64% of the total health expert in 2013-14 to 39% in 2021-22. But more needs to be done to further Reduce the Financial Burden on Health Care. The larger objective of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is preced this. PMBJP AIMS to Provide Quality Generic Medicines Through a Network of Jan Aushadhi Kendras (Jaks). Presently, more than 15,000 such things are operating Across 776 Districts Delivering Health Benefits to Approximately One Million People Eover Single Day. The product range of jaks covers 2,047 medicines and 300 surgical and health care items. The Medicines Sold at Jaks are on Average 50% to 80% Cheaper than their branded counterparts sold in the open market. For institution, the average price of a common medicine for high blood pressure, namely, telmisartan (40 mg), in the market is 72 per 10 tablets. The price of the same generic drug sleep at a jak is only 12 per 10 tablets.
A Robust System Guarantees The Quality of Medicines and Surgical Products Sold At All Jaks. All medicines are procured from manufacturers who follow the good manufacturing practices (gmp) Guidelines of the world health organization and are certified in this Drug contraller. Further, these production units are audited by PMBJP for quality. On receipt of these medicines in the warehouses, all the batchs are tested in reputed National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) Accredited Laboratories. The government also carries out regular comparisons of these medicines with the most popular branded medicines in terms of various parameters thinking as assay, Solubility, Etc, to Check and CONFIRM THE CONFIRM SOLIBILITY ASSAY Efficiency.
On October 31, 2023, The Prime Minister inaugurated the 10,000th outlet at AIIMS in Deoghar and Simultaneously launched the scheme to increase the number of jaks from 10,000 to 25,000 to 25,000 to 25,000 in Next two. Opening of more than 4,500 kendras in the past 11 months is a testament to the speed and scale of this expansion.
Under PMBJP, Online Applications are invited from entrepreneurs and ngos or organizations for establishing jaks in a franchise-like model. For making these units viable and self-reeliant, the entrepreneurs are assisted and facilitated by the pharmaceuticals and medical devices bureau of India (PMBI), A Society Working Under of Fellow Famous Fertilisers. The eligible applicants are assisted by PMBI in Drug License Issuance and Financial Inventives are provided to create the necessary infrastructure. PMBJP Has Created Opportunities for Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment, Enabling Pharmacists and Small Business Ownes to Run SusTainable Outlets. As many as 6,000 jaks (40% of all) are run by women. The Initiative Contributes to the Local Economy by Generating Thousands of Jobs – Entrepreneurs are estimated to have earned 1,268 Crore.
One area of priority for the government is the menstrual health of girls and women. Jaks provide highly subsidized and oxo-biodegradable sanitary pads at only 1 per pad. In the last five years, approximately 74.5 Crore Soch Pads Have Been Sold Through this channel.
In all, during the past 10 years, total savings to the people have been of the scheme have been set at more than 30,000 Crore. The scheme is helping familys save on every purchase. This is particularly so for that who needed medicines for chronic ailments. A Recent Study in Assam and Rajasthan Estimated that PMBJP User Households Saved 550 per month on an average compared to non-pambjp households. A Quarter of the former saved over 1,000 per month.
PMBJP Reafffirms the Government’s Commitment to Ensure that No Citizen is left behind in available quality health services. By providing a range of Quality Medicines at Highly affordable prisles, this scheme is fostering the cardinal Principle of Universal Health Coverage, Namely, Access to Health Care Without Financial Hard.
Vinod Paul is Member (Health), Niti Aayog. The views expressed are personal
