BENGALURU: Health activists have urged the state government to adopt Tamil Nadu’s ‘bulk medicine procurement’ model, which allows public hospitals there to offer essential medicines 30% cheaper than the subsidised rates of Jan Aushadhi stores.
The activists said medicines at Jan Aushadhi stores cost less than those sold in private pharmacies. But they are still costlier than the government supplies in states such as Tamil Nadu.
Pitching for the TN model, Sarvatrika Arogya Andolana – Karnataka (SAA-K), a network of 30 health rights organisations, on Thursday welcomed the state government’s decision to shut 180 Jan Aushadhi outlets on the premises of the hospitals run by it. They said over 1,400 Jan Aushadhi stores are still operational across the state. “People can still buy medicines from such stores.
But the bigger issue is that many government hospitals have no adequate stocks of medicines for free distribution. So patients are being pushed to buy medicines from outside, either from Jan Aushadhi or private pharmacies,” Rajesh Kumar, convener of SAA-K’s Bengaluru Urban unit, said.
In TN, the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) handles purchase and supply of medicines to all government hospitals. The corporation procures medicines in large quantities and ensures that they reach patients on time at lower costs.