Why there are not even 20000 Jan Aushadhi Shops in India, a country of over 650000 villages when JA medicines are costing so less?

• MRP of Jan Aushadhi medicines are about 50% to 80% cheaper than those of leading ‘Branded’ medicines
• Prescription writers not writing prescriptions by Generic/ Chemical name has been main reasons for so less turnover of Jan Aushadhi medicines
• What is difference between Generic Medicines and Branded Generic Medicines?

Daya Sagar

The medicines that are sold through Jan Aushadhi Kendras are sold under ‘generic name’ &by any ‘brand’ name and their technical material is not under patent rights of some individual or a company where as most of the manufacturers in India market same medicines under their ‘brand ‘ name ( often referred as branded generic ). There has been very less achievement in enforcing writing prescription by generic / chemical name and has been one of the main reasons the number of Jan Aushadhi Stores having not increased in proportion to so high a cost benefit that the Jan Aushadhi medicines carry with the level of efficacy no way less than anyone else selling the same medicine under a company specific ‘brand’ name .The Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiye Jan Aushadi Pariyojna (PMBJAP) are now nearly over 17 years old and going by the press releases and reports in support of the programme there is utmost need to examine how far this scheme which covers the interests of the common citizen of India for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been taking very personal interest since 2015 itself has been on ground conducted by the concerned ministries and particularly those in bureaucracy / implementing agencies like Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) / Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India ( PMDBI ) to yield the benefits as could have been drawn from such a high yield potential scheme.
No doubt a programme that had 4 outlets in 2008 and had reached only to the level of just less than 100 outlets by 2014-15 had reached to the level of 17990 outlets with sales of generic medicines worth over Rs.1400 Cr by 31-12-2025 surely on face it ‘appears’ very encouraging but it would be unwise to rest here- only without looking at (i) the market potential that existed/ exists (ii) the importance of the scheme in view of direct economic benefit that can happen to common/all Indian masses without any economic load on any State Government or Central Government (iii) reduced financial burden on ‘state’ exchequer as regards the health services through the government hospitals (iv) the scope for providing enough demand & easily cultivable market to the Pharmaceutical Companies in Public Sector (v) reducing the out of pocket expenses of common man substantially ( going by the data that is given in the press releases of the Government / PMDBI on an average the medicines that would for same generic drug are sold under a brand name for Rs.100 would cost to individual without a brand name from a Jan Aushadhi stores just Rs.100/ only <.It has been that in an advertisement appearing in media on the eve of the 8th Jan Aushadhi Divas on 7th March 2026 Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and PMBI has mentioned 18000 JAKs as operational across country , 2110 medicines & 315 medical devices/ consumables available, Jan Aushadhi has helped citizens save approximately Rs.40000/ Cr > (vi) of course there would be a possible check on the unfair earning ( if there) by the trade ( which was particularly kept in focus when the Jan Aushadhi like scheme was conceived in 2008 by GOI when Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan was the Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers ) and (vii) above all that KEEPING IN VIEW the importance that Prime Minister has been IN PARTICULAR giving to the Jan Aushadhi Pariyojna ( RATHER WORKING SINGLE HANDEDLY AS ‘BRAND AMBASSEDOR’ FOR the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana/ PMBJP , EARLIER JAN AUSHADHI SCHEME) before arriving at some independent opinion { in terms of reports like that of 2024-25 of Department of Pharmaceuticals that also outlines the growth of JA Kendras ( shops / retail outlets has been 2008-09 ( 4 ) 2014-15 ( 80 ) 2015-16 ( 269 ) 2016-17 (1080 ) 2017-18 ( 3306 ) 2023-24 ( 11261 ) 30-11-2024 (14320).
The generic medicines sold through the PMDBI in a year are not even 0.5% of the market potential that exists even after the Jan Aushadhi scheme is 17 years old and the medicines are of quality & are with MRP tag upto 80% less than the MRP tag on the same medicines sold under a brand name. Yes one thing thing can be still said which is that it is only due to the personal interest shown by the Prime Minister that some progress has been there. One would ask why so low turn overinspite of so many positives there to support? Among that may be pinned for so low a take off one very indicative reason that could be firmly named is that government has not been able to enforce prescription writing by chemical name / generic name at least for the patent free medicines and that too not even by government doctors while on duty or sitting in there private clinic after/ before regular duty hours ( even retired government doctors should be included ). When doctors write medicines only by brand name the innocent patients get carried with false impressions about quality and many do not accept medicine from other source even with different brand name what to talk of a strip of same medicine with only chemical name. This importance to writing prescription by chemical name must be given first priority by govt.. No doubt PMDBI too could be named for not working in that direction & providing proper feed back to the Government in that direction including instances of non compliance. Had such feedback for so low a level of sales been provided to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi through PMO the Prime Minister would have surely ensured that sales / consumption of JA would increase many fold by this time.
To be continued
(The writer is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs)