By Daya Sagar
First Jan Aushadi store (now) Pardhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Kendra was inaugurated by Petroleum and Chemicals Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in November 2008 in Amritsar. The programme aimed at selling allopathic drugs under essential list not at low prices but at fair prices. May be it was promoting medicines at fair prices that made the programme to fall back.
Now Prime Minister has set a war against corruption and one would expect that atleast now the Paradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Kendra Programme will take off and that could be one of the test cases for the intentions of the ‘government’ to fight out corruption.
It was reported that Government of Rajasthan had issued guidelines to the State run hospital doctors to prescribe drugs by generic name (even asking them to keep a carbon copy of the prescriptions issued so that a watch could be kept).
In Rajasthan co operatives are also involved in this venture. No doubt in Chittorgarh District the generic medicines sale model has been implemented with some success in the hospitals through nearly 20 cooperatives. There the sale prices of some medicines were reported to be 80 to 90 % less than the MRPs of otherwise branded medicines. The work there was appreciated by even UNICEF and UNPF. Such isolated success stories would not do since still the total population of such stores even Rajasthan is very dismal even after eight years of launching the Jan Aushadi Programme in 2008.
On all India basis it is claimed that in 2016 there are around 570 such outlets (out of that more than 200 are claimed to be in Kerala and Chattisgarh) . But even a state like UP is said to have around 80 to 85 outlets. As regards J&K earlier around 11 stores were being claimed including one each in Medical College Bakshi Nagar Jammu and SMGS Hospital Jammu, now claim is made for 13 Stores . I have not been able locate any store in Medical College Jammu. Position of other stores could be well imagined like Jan Aushadhi Store, Indian Red Cross Society J&K State Branch, Exchange Road Srinagar, Aushadhi Store, SNM Hospital, Leh, Anantnag MMAB Hospital, Udhampur District Hospital, Reasi District hospital Jan Aushadhi Store, Doda District Hospital JAS, District Hospital Pulwama JAS, District Hospital Kargil JAS, Ramban District Hospital JAS, Kupwara, District Hospital JAS, Kulgam District Hospital JAS.
Even a Parliamentary Committee on Health had suggested that it should be made mandatory for all state governments to open Jan Aushadhi Stores in all Government Hospitals (prescribing medicines on generic name basis should be made mandatory). In principle there should have been no problem in implementing this programme atleast through Government Hospitals and doctor. Enforce prescription writing by generic name and expenditure for general medicines on a large majority of patients would reduce by 60 to 70 %. Even the manufacturers (so far other than PSU/ PSE) who would not join programme would be forced to reduce their prices by 60 to 70 per cent.
The hard fact is that this programme has not been carried to the core and so far the medicines manufactured and sold on generic name basis in the market have not got there due place in the market due to misinformation campaign launched by multinational / big pharma companies dubbing them as substandard and less effective. Where as that is surely not at all true. Government too has not promoted the JADS Scheme with that vigour and trueness.
Indirect efforts of the manufacturers and some of the practicing doctors have managed to put brakes on JADS Scheme. Government spends huge sums on the awareness advertisements and programmes.
But very less allocations are made for carrying on the message to innocent patients and their care takers that the allegations about quality and efficacy of the drugs manufactured and sold under generic name through JADS (K) are not based on truthful facts. The doubts about the quality and effectiveness of generic medicines have to be set aside. Such like misconceptions need be removed from the minds of patients, doctors and the care takers.
People need be made aware that there is huge infrastructure of drug control and distribution under the governments. So, unless the government machinery too joins hands with the unfair trade , the medicines that are manufactured in thousands of units / strips can not be afforded to be of low quality by any manufacturer All drugs manufactured & released for sale are subject to pharma standards & quality tests as per updated Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940 & rules thereof .Hence prescription writing by generic name and JAS need be taken on priority by government for medicines included in the National List of Essential Drugs 2011 that would cover the need of more than 90 per cent patients in general.
(*Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and a social activist can be reached at [email protected]
