&w=3840&q=100)
Jan Aushadhi outlets saved ₹38,000 crore for citizens in 11 years: Govt
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said 16,912 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) have been opened across the country till June 30, 2025.
"As a result of the scheme, in the last 11 years, estimated savings of about ₹38,000 crore have accrued to citizens in comparison to the prices of branded medicines," the minister stated.
The scheme has contributed significantly to the sharp reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure by households from 62.6 per cent of total health expenditure in 2014-15 to 39.4 per cent in 2021-22 as per the National Health Accounts Estimates, she added.
"With a view to further expand reach to jan aushadhi medicine and thereby reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, the government has set a target to open 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras by March 2027," Patel said.
The outlets cover 2,110 medicines and 315 surgicals, medical consumables and devices covering all major therapeutic groups, she said.
Products under the scheme are about 50-80 per cent cheaper than corresponding leading branded products in the market.
The scheme product basket includes a total of 61 surgical equipment, Patel said.
Under the scheme, medicines of MRP value totalling ₹1,470 crore and ₹2,022.47 crore were sold during 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively, she added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt says National Medical Commission rules allow complaints against docs, but commission rejects them
NEW DELHI: Responding to a Parliament question on whether the National Medical Commission (NMC) was biased towards doctors, the health ministry has stated that the ethics regulation of 2002 provided for complaints against doctors. However, NMC's ethics section has been rejecting all patient appeals claiming that the NMC Act prevails over the 2002 ethics regulation. The NMC act states that doctors can file appeals against state medical council decisions. Referring to this, the ethics section has been dismissing all appeals filed by patients claiming that only doctors can file an appeal, even though it is against the law. The NMC Act itself clearly states that 'the rules and regulations made under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, shall continue to be in force and operate till new standards or requirements are specified under this Act or the rules and regulations made thereunder'. Since the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 has not been replaced, it still stands. Clause 8.8 of the 2002 ethics regulation states: 'Any person aggrieved by the decision of the State Medical Council on any complaint against a delinquent physician, shall have the right to file an appeal to the MCI within a period of 60 days from the date of receipt of the order passed by the said Medical Council'. Yet, over 162 appeals of patients have been rejected by the NMC. In the reply to Parliament, minister of state for health Anupriya Patel stated that 'to ensure that the NMC functions in a transparent and fair manner', the central government appoints the chairperson and presidents of four autonomous boards as per the NMC Act 2019. However, there is no transparency as even the minutes of the meetings of the NMC and its autonomous boards are not available in the public domain as used to be the case with the erstwhile Medical Council of India. Moreover, all autonomous boards including the posts of presidents are currently almost entirely vacant with the government having failed to make appointments for over 10 months. The few minutes of commission's meetings accessed using RTI show that most non-doctor ex-officio members hardly ever attend meetings and hence most decisions are taken by commission members, almost most of whom are doctors. Of the 33-member commission, about 20 are doctors. 'I have complained to the health ministry and the law ministry by registered post about NMC rejecting patient appeals and hence I have proof. So, the health ministry cannot claim to have not received any complaints,' said Gokul Aneja, husband of a victim of alleged medical negligence, who appealed against the decision of the Punjab state medical council, only to have his appeal rejected twice.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Study alleging widespread antibiotic contamination in Indian rivers based on assumptions: Govt
A recent study alleging widespread antibiotic contamination in Indian rivers is based on "simulations and assumptions" and therefore, no conclusion on the issue can be drawn from it, the government has said. Replying to a question by Congress MP Pramod Tiwari in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the study has cited its "own limitations of data availability". Study findings The study, conducted by researchers from McGill University, alleged that 80 per cent of the total length of rivers in India could be posing environmental and health risks due to antibiotic pollution. The media report, published on April 24, 2025, is based on a study titled 'Antibiotics in the global river system arising from human consumption' conducted by researchers from McGill University, Canada, and its "findings are based on simulations and assumptions", the minister said in a written reply. Furthermore, the minister informed that the government has not conducted any study on antibiotic contamination of rivers. Regarding the steps taken to regulate pharmaceutical waste and strengthen pollution control, Singh informed that the government launched the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) in April 2017 to develop and implement strategic interventions to reduce the environmental impact of antimicrobial resistance through effective waste management and safe disposal of expired antimicrobials. He mentioned that the environment ministry issued a notification for the bulk drug and pharmaceutical industry in August 2021, classifying chemical and biological sludge or any residue generated from wastewater treatment as hazardous waste. These shall be managed in an environmentally sound manner in accordance with the Hazardous Waste and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, Singh added. He highlighted that state pollution control boards have been empowered to prescribe additional relevant parameters and monitoring frequencies based on local conditions. The expired antimicrobials are disposed of by manufacturers or suppliers through incineration as per the Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, while sludge from effluent treatment plants is sent to common biomedical or hazardous waste treatment facilities for incineration or safe disposal. "To reduce antibiotic residue from effluent sources, industries are adopting reduce, recycle and reuse of treated effluent to maximise the extent of Zero Liquid Discharge to minimise the risk of pharmaceutical compound residues," the minister said.
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
2,849 MBBS seats went vacant in 2024 despite 39% rise in seats since 2020: Centre
India has seen a 39% jump in MBBS seats over the past four years—from 83,275 in 2020–21 to 1,15,900 in 2024–25. But the worrying bit? Thousands of seats are still going vacant each 2024–25 alone, 2,849 undergraduate medical seats remained unfilled, as per data presented in Parliament by Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel on August biggest spike in vacancies was recorded in 2022–23, when 4,146 seats (excluding AIIMS and JIPMER) went unclaimed. Since then, the number has dropped but hasn't YearVacant UG Seats2021–222,0122022–234,1462023–242,9592024–252,849WHICH STATES LEAD IN MBBS SEATS?Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat are among the top states contributing the most MBBS states led both in 2020–21 and 2024–25. For instance, UP's seat count jumped from 7,428 to 12,325 and Tamil Nadu's from 8,000 to 12, a look at MBBS seat growth across states: Seats2024–25 Seats1Andaman & Nicobar1001142Andhra Pradesh5,2106,5853Arunachal Pradesh501004Assam1,0501,7005Bihar2,1402,9956Chandigarh1501507Chhattisgarh1,3452,1058Dadra & Nagar Haveli1501779Delhi1,4221,34610Goa18020011Gujarat5,7007,00012Haryana1,6602,18513Himachal Pradesh92092014Jammu & Kashmir1,1351,38515Jharkhand7801,05516Karnataka9,34512,19417Kerala4,1054,70518Madhya Pradesh3,5854,90019Maharashtra9,00011,84420Manipur22552521Meghalaya5015022Mizoram10010023Nagaland010024Odisha1,9502,67525Puducherry1,5301,87326Punjab1,4251,69927Rajasthan4,2006,27928Sikkim5015029Tamil Nadu8,00012,00030Telangana5,2408,91531Tripura22540032Uttar Pradesh7,42812,32533Uttarakhand8251,35034West Bengal4,0005,699WHAT'S DRIVING THIS GROWTH?The government has been pushing hard to improve medical education across India. New medical colleges have come up in underserved areas, many under a centrally sponsored scheme. Of the 157 new colleges approved, 131 are already National Medical Commission (NMC) also introduced the Minimum Standard Requirement Regulations in 2023. These rules ensure new colleges meet minimum infrastructure, faculty, and clinical benchmarks before getting the green new institutions, older state and central medical colleges are being upgraded to increase MBBS and postgraduate intake. The aim is clear: meet India's growing need for qualified doctors — but also make sure no seat goes to waste.- Ends advertisement
