The Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to the Health and Family Welfare has criticised the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) for its 'lackadaisical approach and lack of sense of urgency in ironing out hindrances in establishing Jan Aushadhi Stores'.

“The Committee is constrained to note the snail’s pace of progress made in setting up Jan Aushadhi Stores in the country. The Committee is pained to observe the lackadaisical approach and lack of sense of urgency on the part of the DoP in ironing out the hindrances in establishing Jan Aushadhi Stores,” the report of the panel said.

“The Committee also observes that between the February 18, 2011 when the Secretary (Pharmaceuticals) first deposed before the Committee and the June 3, 2011 when the Committee last interacted with him, there was little progress in addressing the inadequacies  from which the Jan Aushadhi Programme suffers.   Though assurances have been made before the Committee to revamp the Jan Aushadhi edifice by way of finalising an integrated business plan, lack of any deadline for implementation of the integrated business plan gives an impression that the issue of promotion of generic drugs is being soft-pedalled,” it said.

“The Committee, therefore, recommends that the DoP should take credible initiatives towards settling the problems of supply, distribution and production chains and implementing the integrated business plan in a time-bound manner,” the panel said.

According to the Health Ministry, it was pursuing the matter with the States on a regular basis. The Ministry will also continue to discuss the issue of promotion of generic drugs and impress upon the States to take immediate time bound steps.

The secretary, DoP deposed before the committee that it was preparing a revised  business plan to expand the Jan Aushadhi programme in which 600 plus Jan Aushadhi stores are targeted to be established within the next two years, and 3000 stores in four years, depending on the response from the State Governments. He also informed that as on date 102 Jan Aushadhi Stores have already been set up.

In regard to the opening of Jan Aushadhi Stores, the appointment of operating agencies and to make sure that these operating agencies will not make use of these premises for promoting non-Jan Aushadi Drugs, the responsibility including due diligence and vigilance are all with the State Governments. There were some deficiencies in the programme concerning supply, distribution and production plans. A review of this programme was done and it was found that there was no proper supply chain and no proper assessment available whether the public sector units could provide the exact quality of medicines required for a Jan Aushadhi store, the secretary said.