BENGALURU: With the Department of Pharmaceuticals approving a 12.12 per cent price hike for essential drugs on Monday, experts suggest citizens buy generic medicines from Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
PS Bhagavan, a retired deputy director, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), said individual customers will be the most affected by this price hike as it will increase the cost of treatment in both private and government settings. Especially people from middle and lower-income groups must consider buying medicines from Jan Aushadhi Kendras that are as good as branded medicines and are much cheaper.
He said it is the individuals, not private and government hospitals who will be affected the most as hospitals get big discounts on their large quantum of purchases.
He explained that the price of branded medicines is affected because of the wholesale price index (WPI), availability/import of drugs through the international market and marketing costs. A field officer from Bengaluru, Anupam Pathak, told TNIE that the Jan Aushadhi Kendras are doing well and several of them have crossed revenues of over Rs 1 crore per annum.
The aim of these kendras was to supply quality medicines at affordable prices. Pathak said the burden of diseases is equal for both high and low-income group people, but only those who are financially unstable end up facing problems as they have to spend a major chunk of their earnings on buying expensive medicines.
Steps are being taken to expand such aushadhi kendras across the country to benefit people from all economic backgrounds, he added. Currently, there are 1,050 kendras functioning across 31 districts in Karnataka providing 1,076 medicines and 145 surgical consumables.