Shimla: Janaushadhi Kendra told to sell generic medicines only

Subhash Rajta

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Shimla, April 30

The Janaushadhi Kendra at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Hospital here will not sell non-generic medicines anymore.

“Recently, the High Court passed an order with regard to the Janaushadhi Kendra to sell generic medicines only. In view of that, we have issued instructions to the Janaushadhi Kendra to sell generic medicines only,” said Dr HR Thakur, Medical Superintendent, DDU.

Incidentally, the mandate of the Janaushadhi Kendra is to sell only generic medicines so that the poor get medicines at affordable prices. However, some Kendras are selling branded medicines along with the generic medicines.

Recently, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had passed an order with regard to the Janaushadhi Kendra at Civil Hospital, Khaneri, Rampur, that no non-generic medicines should be sold at the Kendra.

The High Court asked the Medical Superintendent of the hospital to “ensure that no non-generic medicine is sold in the Janaushadhi shop” without permission, if any, from the Pharma and Medical Bureau of India (PMBI).

At the IGMC, the Janaushadhi store sells non-generic medicine. “We have the permission to sell some branded medicine along with generic ones at the Janaushadhi store. The permission has been given by the Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the hospital. In case, there are orders from the government to stop selling non-generic medicine, we will stop it,” said IGMC MS Dr. Rahul Rao.

Rohit Sharma, nodal officer of PMBI in the state, said no Janaushadhi Kendra had been given permission to sell non-generic medicines. “By selling non-generic medicines, the Janaushadhi Kendras are flouting the MoU and the mandate of the scheme,” he said.

Sharma said while most Janaushadhi Kendras were selling only generic medicines, a few Kendras were selling non-generic medicines as well.

“We have issued notices to the hospitals where non-generic medicines are being sold. If these Janaushadhi Kendras continue to sell non-generic medicines, PMBI could take action against them, including the cancellation of the MoU to run the Janaushadhi Kendra,” the official said.