The Andhra Pradesh state government is planning to open about 200 generic medical stores across 13 districts in the residual state.

As part of its reforms and changes in healthcare policy, the state government is planning to open about 200 generic medical stores across the state. The main aim of the state government’s policy is to provide quality medicines to the patients at affordable cost.

According to sources at Andhra Pradesh Hospital Services and Basic Amenities organization, initially in the first phase, health department has the plan to open generic stores in all the major cities and towns across the state and later it will extend to all mandal headquarters in the second phase. The state government has already noted this plan in its 100 days healthcare programme.

Currently, patients suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and gastric related disease are spending huge amounts of money on branded drugs. It is estimated that on an average each patient spends about Rs.1200 per month on the branded medicines. If the generic outlets are opened, the branded drugs that are available at Rs.1000 in the market can be availed at less than Rs.500.

At present there are already 40 generic outlets running in the state under the scheme called Jeevandhara, but these outlets are not reaching the expectations of the consumers. “Though there are generic stores running under Jeevandhara programme, these stores do not have the stocks of all types of medicines. Due to shortage in the supply of the generic medicines, these stores are also compelled to sell the branded medicines,” said a patient at Osmania General Hospital.

To overcome all these issues and to provide 100 per cent generic medicines to the public at affordable rates, the authorities in the healthcare department are pooling in non-profit organizations such as Red Cross Society and Senior Citizens Forum to run the generic stores in the state.

In order to promote generic medicine, the state government is also planning to issue an order to all the hospitals and doctors in the state to prescribe only generic medicines for the patients. In fact, as per the Medical Council of India regulations all the doctors should prescribe medicine with generic names, but because of the nexus between the doctors, drug distributors and pharma companies, the doctors are prescribing only those brands of medicine that earn more commission for them.