The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), which could not yet reach
anywhere near the targeted expansion of Jan Aushadhi outlets, has now
worked out another ambitious target of opening 3000 stores taking the
network upto the sub-divisional levels in the country in the next few
years.

The DoP has reworked the scheme with goal of expanding it
to all subdivisions, revising the original plan of setting up one
generic outlet in every district of the country. According to the latest
official data, “a business plan has been prepared for opening more than
3000 Jan Aushadhi outlets. For this, the entire supply chain is being
computerised and a professional management structure is proposed to be
put in place.”

After the scheme was launched in 2008 with the
object of ensuring access to quality medicines at affordable prices, 80
stores have been opened in various parts of the country so far covering
the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttrakhand, Orissa, Rajasthan, Andhra
Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Chandigarh.

“Through the Jan
Aushadhi outlets, 231 generic medicines of the same quality, efficacy
and potency as that of branded medicine are being made available at very
affordable prices. A total of Rs.2.76
crore of medicines have supplied to these Jan Aushadhi outlets. Efforts
are on to increase the basket of medicines to 350 covering all NLEM
medicines and open Jan Aushadhi Stores in every District Hospital of the
country,’’ the latest report by the DoP said.

Another important
action plan is to launch a massive campaign through the media on the
lines of the pulse immunisation programme to popularise the low cost
drug outlets. Seeking the support of huge number of pharmacists
available in the country is another step in the action plan, it is
learnt.