Highlights
All private doctors are prescribing branded medicines. The sale of generic medicines in the state is low as per the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana
State Bureau, Naiduniya, Bhopal. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), patients purchased generic medicines worth Rs 44 crore in the last five years. In the year 2019-20, medicines worth Rs 4 crore 58 lakh were purchased from these centers. With the increase in Jan Aushadhi Kendras and awareness among people, this figure has continuously increased to 13 crores, yet we are far behind compared to other big states.
The use of these medicines has increased rapidly, especially in the southern states. In the five years between 2019-20 and 2023-24, people bought generic medicines worth Rs 630 crore in Kerala, Rs 563 crore in Karnataka, Rs 307 crore in Tamil Nadu and Rs 228 crore in Bengal from these centers.
Talking about the whole country, the turnover during this period was Rs 3,548 crore which was Rs 313 crore in the year 2018-19. These figures are as per the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Project.
medicines of same quality
It is noteworthy that in these centers, medicines of same quality are available at 5 to 10 times cheaper rates than branded medicines. Except government hospitals in the state, most of the doctors are prescribing generic medicines, due to which the consumption of medicines is low.
According to the report of PMBJP, 403 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are operating in the state, while there are 12,616 centers across the country. One reason for the low sale of medicines in the state compared to other states is that patients are not able to get all the medicines. They have to buy some medicines from other shops.
Leaving aside AIIMS, in other government hospitals, patients visiting OPD get medicines from the hospital, they do not have to buy them. In AIIMS, patients do not get medicines from the hospital. Most patients buy branded medicines from Amrit Pharmacy and some from the market. Barely five percent of the patients visiting OPD buy medicines from Jan Aushadhi Kendra. Centers have opened outside hospitals in all the districts but these are in colonies instead of markets, due to which fewer people can reach them.
Sale of medicines from Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the state year
Sale of medicines (amount in Rs crore) 2019-20 — 4.58 2020-21 — 6.20 2021-22 — 8.47 2022-23 — 11.10 2023-24 — 13.84
