Centre’s ambitious scheme to provide unbranded generic medicines at affordable prices, seemed to have failed to take off in Jharkhand due to lack of supply in the Jan Aushadhi stores across the State. The scheme started in the year 2008 with an aim to make quality medicine available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged through specialised outlets called Jan Aushadhi stores.
“There are several reasons for its failure. Firstly there is ample supply of medicines in the hospitals itself that people need not to go there. Also the supply system in place is so complicated that it takes time to reach the medicines at stores and thirdly, there are several complaints of expiry of medicines purchased from there that we have to return it on several occasions,” said Civil Surgeon of Ranchi Shivshankar Harijan.
The State Government runs 13 Jan Aushadhi Kendras or generic drug stores in different districts in Jharkhand including one at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences and one at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi. But none of these stores have got complete supply of medicines since the stores were set up.
Even the supplier, who has been given the responsibility to supply medicines in these stores, admitted there were problems of supply, but would be enhanced very soon. “There are definitely problems in supply chain, which we are trying to enhance very soon. Moreover, the supply depends on the availability of medicines due to which it gets delayed. If the medicine is available in stock, well and good, but if it is not there in the stock, we have to further order them from Gurgaon which takes some time,” said Marketing Officer of Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Government of India Kumar Pahtak.
There is problem on the part of store managers also who generally place orders very late after the medicines get exhausted in the stores, he added.
“The order process is also very lengthy, it takes time to get it cleared as a result of which the customers do not get the desired medicines,” said Pathak.
Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, on the other hand, expressed ignorance in this regard and assured to look into the matter. “I was under the impression that these stores are being run very efficiently. But if you are saying that there is short of supply then, I will definitely look into the matter and get back to you,” said the Minister.
Jan Aushadhi store keepers believed that besides very few medicines in stores, monitoring of scheme was not done properly across the state. “Even the doctors do not recommend generic medicines, but aware people are asking for it which we are not able to provide them due to shortage of medicines in the stores,” said a shopkeeper in Aushadhi Kendra in RIMS. People are coming to the shops, but are not getting the medicines, h