Affordable drugs: 300 AMRIT outlets, 3,000 Jan Aushadhi centres this year, says Nadda

Chandigarh: Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said the government would open 300 Amrit outlets and 3,000 Jan Aushadhi stores this year for ensuring availability of drugs at affordable prices.

Inaugurating two Amrit outlets at PGIMER here, he said, “Our plan is to have 300 outlets in the country this year and we have requested the state government to provide space for opening Amrit stores.”

At Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants (AMRIT) outlets drugs are be sold at highly subsidised rates.

Nadda said average discount available at such stores onbranded medicines are 69 per cent. “The discounts ranges between 8 per cent and 90 per cent,” he said.

With the two outlets here, there are now nine such shops in the country and four more are to be opened soon in central hospitals, he said.

He claimed at nine Amrit outlets, drugs worth Rs 23 crore have been sold so far savings Rs 16 crore to patients.

He also said 3,000 Jan Aushadhi stores will also be opened this year. “Practically, every district will have six-seven such shops,” he said.

Jan Aushadhi stores are aimed at providing quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses.

The Minister also said the Centre would set up 20 cancer institutes in the country with an expenditure of Rs 120 crore.

“Besides, 50 tertiary cancer centres will be opened with cost of Rs 50 crore which will provide best facilities to the cancer patients,” he said.

He further said the ministry was working on taking care of non-communicable diseases like lifestyle-related ailments in a big way and emphasised on the need for inter-sectoral coordination in this regard.

On the occasion, Nadda attended the first convocation of National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) and awarded degrees to more than 500 students.

He also inaugurated an advanced MRI machine, Sleep Lab for Diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea and PGIMER Telemedicine Link with Kinnaur, Sabrimala and Amarnath.

Meanwhile, addressing the convocation Nadda said the government has given high priority to improving nursing and midwifery cadre through skill development and continued professional development.

He said the government has undertaken major expansion of nursing and technical education leading to a three-fold increase in the numbers of nursing institutions and in the number of students passing out from them.

Nadda said some of the initiatives taken for strengthening nursing cadre are establishment of ANM/GNM schools, upgradation of institutions from school of nursing to college of nursing, training of nurses, development of 11 one-year specialisation courses, revision of curriculum for all nursing programs, new nurse practitioner courses, nurse practitioner in critical care program, etc.

The proposed Nursing Practice Act will empower nurses and more reforms can be done in nursing regulation, the Health Minister said.

PTI