The Directorate of Indian Medicines and Homeopathy (DIMH), Andhra Pradesh has started a major modernization programme aimed at developing the state run ayurvedic and unani pharmacies in tune with the recently announced GMP requirements. While Rs 80 lakhs is being spent on the expansion and modernization of its Ayurvedic Pharmacy, a proposal for Rs 1.3 crore project has gone towards the development of Unani Pharmacy. Both the pharmacies, located at Kattaden about 40 kms away from Hyderabad, supply medicines supply medicines to the whole state.

The entire funds needed for the expansion and modernization programmes have come as grant-n-aid from the Central government.

Informing this to pharmabiz.com, T Janardhana Naidu, commissioner, DIMH said that the works on the ayurvedic pharmacy has already started and the proposals for the state unani pharmacy is to be cleared soon.

Of the 547 ayurvedic and 167 unani pharmacies in the state, only a handful of established ones have started following the GMP norms, it is learnt. The government is trying to upgrade the entire facilities in the context of globalisation of Indian systems of medicines and the growing market for herbal cosmetics in the West.

The proposal for the Indian Medicine Pharmacy (Unani) envisages the construction of a full-fledged medicine manufacturing facility in 1.9 acres of area at Kattaden. The existing pharmacy would be scientifically upgraded using the technical assistance from the Central Research Institute for Unani Medicine (CRIUM). The pharmacy will manufacture 60 medicines for the general use to be supplied to unani hospitals and dispensaries across the state. The AP Medical Health Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation is entrusted with the duty of constructing necessary infrastructure for both the projects.

Meanwhile, the state ayurvedic pharmacy will also have a drug standardisation laboratory. The works on the setting up of the central funded standardisation laboratory is also progressing along with the expansion of the pharmacy. It is known that the central funds for the development of the testing laboratory is Rs 55 lakhs.

While the new facilities will solve most of the problems associated with the availability of quality medicines, the scarcity of good quality raw materials is likely to continue for some more time. The state government is known to be planning to evolve an action plan, which includes the setting up of a State Medicinal Plants Board for the promotion of medicinal plant cultivation in the state. It was also announced that the government would allot 50 acres of land in the outskirts of Hyderabad to the Swami Ramananda Thirtha Institute of Socio-Economic Research and National Integration for establishing a demonstration plot to create awareness. Plans for the setting up of nurseries and to market the medicines through Girijan Cooperative Societies are also there.

There are 627 licenced ayurveda pharmacies in the private sector in AP. The state has five ayurveda colleges, four homoeopathy colleges and one unani college.

The number of ayurvedic, homeo and unani hospitals is 6, 8 and 6 respectively.