Andhra Pradesh - Karimnagar   

Generic medicines at cheaper rate

KARIMNAGAR: To ensure that quality medicines were available at reasonable prices, the district administration has embarked upon an ambitious task of opening ‘Jana Aushadalayas” to sell generic medicines at lower prices as compared to branded drugs in various parts of Karimnagar district.

The administration had convened a meeting with the district medical authorities for the establishment of generic medical drug stores in the district here on Wednesday, as part of a strategy to strengthen the health system and improve access to quality generic medicines at fair prices.

Quality medicine at cheaper rates

Presiding over the meeting, Additional Joint Collector Sundar Abnar said that the administration had decided to open generic medicine outlets in Karimnagar, Jagtial and Godavarikhani industrial area within the next 45 days to provide quality medicines at a lower price. Later on, generic drug stores will be opened in other parts of the district such as Siricilla, Korutla, Peddapalli and others.

Calling upon doctors in government and private practice to prescribe the generic drugs to help the poor patients, the Additional Joint Collector had informed representatives of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Andhra Pradesh Private Hospitals & Nursing Home Association (APNA) to instruct doctors to prescribe only generic drugs, which were available at cheaper rates as compared to other branded drugs. He said that several companies of generic drugs would be made available at 50 to 90 per cent lesser price than the MRP.

GO issued

Expressing concern over poor people spending huge amount on drugs, he said that the state government in collaboration with the Union government had decided to open ‘Jana Aushadalayas” to provide quality medicines at lower price and had accordingly issued a Government Order (GO) Ms No 54 dated March 14, 2011 for establishment of generic medicine retail outlets in the state.

Women pharmacists

He said that the generic medicine outlets would be operated by the women Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP) members and that the authorities had been instructed to identify women pharmacists in the IKP groups. He said that the medicine outlets would be opened at the government headquarters hospital in Karimangar and area hospitals in Jagtial and Godavarikhani.

District coordinator of hospitals G. Shivaprakasham, hospital superintendent Narsing Rao, Additional District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Sukumar, Assistant Director (Drugs Control Authority) G. Ramdham, IMA district president Srilatha Reddy and others were present.

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