Jamshedpur residents cheer for Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Jamshedpur(The Uttam Hindu): With drug prices skyrocketing and medical treatment getting costlier, the Jan Aushadhi Kendras have come as a boon for citizens across the country. Hordes of people are shunning the private medical shops and thronging these cost-effective outlets to purchase medicines.

People of Jamshedpur district in Jharkhand were also drawing benefits from the scheme. A couple of them, from lower and middle-class families, spoke to IANS and shared how these centres have proved instrumental in bringing down their medical bills. The people said they had stopped buying branded medicines and were now buying generic drugs from the Jan Aushadhi centres.

Savitri Devi, a customer who regularly visits the Jan Aushadhi Kendra, said the medicines were available here at very cheap prices. "I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who thought for us and started a scheme like this. We are benefiting financially from this scheme," she said. Sanju Devi, another customer said that the medicines at Jan Aushadhi Centre were in no way inferior to those available at private shops. "We buy all our medicines from here. This is a commendable step by PM Modi," she added. Pharmacist Uday Diwakar also praised the Modi government for launching Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PM-BJP) under which scores of Jan Aarogya centres have been opened.

He also shared how pharmaceutical companies play a role in spiking prices of medicines and blamed the multiple chains of commissions for inflated prices. "This centre aims to provide affordable medicines to poor and common people. All types of medicines are also available here. Generic medicines are available at Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which have the approval of the WHO and the government. These medicines are as good as the expensive medicines," he further said. Speaking about challenges before the Jan Aarogya centres, he said that since doctors do not prescribe generic medicines to patients, the latter buy the same from private stores.