Goa yet to respond to Centre's scheme for medical stores

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-02-11
PANAJI- The Goa government is yet to respond to the Jan Aushadhi Karyakram of the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, which proposes to set up Jan Aushadhi medical stores under public-private partnership in all 550 districts of the country so as to provide commonly used medicines -- high quality unbranded generic drugs -- like antibiotics, anti-diabetics, anti-hypertensive, anti-bacterial and analgesics, at 50 per cent rate or less than the MRP to the common man. Goa, which has two districts, stands to have two such round-the-clock medical shops.
Addressing a press conference, the Minister for Steel, Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan said that his ministry has written related letters to the chief secretaries of every state, including Goa. However, the state government is yet to come out with a reply.
No grant, subsidy or exemption in tax would be provided to the state governments, over the medicines sold in these shops,” he informed, pointing out, “And the respective state governments are expected to make available venue in each of their districts for setting up such shops.”
The ministry, which oversees the pharmaceutical sector, launched the national-level low-cost medicine bank scheme in a bid to help people buy drugs at affordable prices. Till now, one district each in Punjab, Delhi and Haryana have been provided with such low-cost medical shops, while more would be opened in Rajasthan and Assam, in the near future.
Jan Aushadhi medical stores are based on a sound business model, Mr Paswan stated, and informed that till now 350 allopathic medicinal drugs have been short-listed for sale in such shops, and this number could go up to 448. “The expression of interest has been floated for provision of the drugs, with 76 pharmaceutical companies responding to the same,” he stated, “And we are scrutinising these EoIs”.
The Minister for Steel, Chemicals and Fertilisers maintained that the Jan Aushadhi medical stores would be a no-profit venture, with a margin, which will take care of the operational cost. “The prices of the medicines sold in such medical stores would be uniform across the state as the value-added tax and excise duty is same all over India,” he pointed out.
“A national toll-free number — 1800-180-80 80 — has also been started with the help of an NGO and this will help 35 crore landline telephone users to access information about the medicines they need,” said Ashok Kumar, secretary for the department of pharmaceuticals, who was present on the occasion.
Mr Paswan, who was in Goa to chair the meeting of the national language advisory committee of his ministry, said that all the officials working under his three portfolios -- steel, chemicals and fertilisers -- were told to ensure optimum use of the official national language, Hindi in their day-to-day work. He further informed that the department of pharmaceuticals was directed to convince the medicinal drug and cosmetics manufacturing companies about using Hindi, along with English, on their products as well as in the advertisements.