Nadda opens AMRIT pharmacy stores
Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 21
Aimed at providing affordable medicines to the people, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda today inaugurated 15 pharmacy stores under Deendayal AMRIT scheme in Assam, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal through video- conferencing.
Inaugurating 12 pharmacies under Deendayal Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) scheme launched by the Centre in November 2015, Nadda disclosed that so far 32.65 lakh patients had benefitted by providing them medicines worth Rs 375 crore at a mere Rs 130 crore. “The launch of the scheme has brought some very expensive treatment within the reach of common man as 164 cancer treatment, 191 cardio-vascular and 5,200 other drugs are being made available at cheap rates,” the minister said.
Nadda also said the endeavour of his ministry now is to start these pharmacies in private sector through franchise.
He said the heart stents costing Rs one lakh would now be available for Rs 12,060 and another costing Rs two lakh at Rs 29,600. Similarly, the launch of the scheme will make Rs 1.60 lakh knee implant possible for mere Rs 54,700 and a Rs 2.50 lakh titanium knee implant for Rs 76,000. “A total of 84 such pharmacies have already been opened and the one at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) here is the 100th”, he remarked.
He said the objective is to make medical care affordable and closer to the doorstep of every citizen. “India is considered the pharmacy of the world, so it was necessary that our people got them at the lowest possible price,” he said. He also said that shortly a medical screening programme for detecting ailments like blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases and cancer in people above the age of 30 years would be launched shortly.
Speaking on the occasion, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur thanked Nadda for the enhancement in budgetary allocation to Himachal to Rs 460 crores. Thakur added that Himachal will set up a Medical Sciences University as the state has six medical colleges, five dental colleges, 25 nursing colleges and 60 nursing schools.
Shimla MP Virender Kashyap, local MLA Suresh Bhardwaj and Joint Secretary Health Navneet Grewal also spoke.
