The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has launched ‘Pharma Jan Samadhan’ scheme for redressal of consumers’ grievances relating to pricing and availability of medicines.
The ‘Pharma Jan Samadhan’ scheme is a web enabled system for redressal of consumers’ grievances. It has put in place a speedy and effective complaint redressal system with respect to availability and pricing of medicines. It would serve as a robust e-governance tool for protection of consumers’ interests through effective implementation of the Drugs (Price Control) Order 2013.
‘Pharma Jan Samadhan’ will provide consumers and others with an on-line facility to redress their complaints relating to over-pricing of medicines, non-availability or shortage of medicines, sale of new medicines without prior price approval of NPPA, and refusal of supply for sale of any medicine without good and sufficient reason.
NPPA will initiate action on any complaint within 48 hours of its receipt.
The scheme was inaugurated by Union minister of chemicals & fertilizers Ananth Kumar at a function recently. Ananth Kumar also released Compendium of Ceiling Prices of Essential Medicines 2015 prepared by NPPA.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the new initiative shows that the government or NPPA is not only regulator but more of a facilitator. He said that this phama-literacy initiative would create awareness among the people and would act as a deterrence against blackmarketing, spurious medicines, and inflated cost of drugs. Shri Ananth Kumar said that the pharma industry stands on three pillars- quality, availability and affordability, and ‘Pharma Jan Samadhan’ is a step in this direction.