It is said that Jan Aushadhi medicines cost 50% to 80% less than branded medicines available in the open market. These medicines are sourced only from manufacturers certified by the World Health Organization for Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP), to ensure high quality.
The aim of Jan Aushadhi Medical Stores is to make quality medicines available at affordable prices for everyone, especially for the poor and needy. These stores help reduce the money people spend from their own pockets on healthcare. This is a great initiative and must be appreciated! But where are these stores? Most people have not even heard of them.The scheme, called Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK), was launched to set up dedicated outlets that provide generic medicines and surgical products. These stores were first started as Jan Aushadhi Kendras in 2008 and renamed PMBJK after 2016. However, most of them are located in far-off areas.
The government should set up Jan Aushadhi stores in every village so that more people can benefit from them. At the very least, each sub-health centre should have one such store under the scheme. This can also help create jobs while making low-cost medicines easily available.
