Medicines heavily discounted,but sale at Jan Aushadhi store poor

Opened on November 16 last year,the Jan Aushadhi store sells medicines only worth Rs 1,500 to 2,000 every day.

The store,a brainchild of the Ministry of Pharmaceuticals,was opened to sell heavily discounted unbranded drugs.

Since it was opened,the store has done sales of only Rs 4.10 lakh — this includes supplies to PGI’s poor patient medicine stock and the staff medicine stock.

Every day,around 4,000 patients visit PGI’s OPD clinics alone. Besides,several thousands are admitted in the general and emergency wards.

There are several reasons behind the store not attracting customers. First,it is located in the old market complex behind the Oral Health Centre,which is at a fair distance from the new OPD block and the emergency ward — a number of chemist shops do brisk business in the area.

Tucked away behind three chemist shops,the store’s 24×7 tag is also a misnomer — it remains open from 8 am to 9 pm.

Further,store attendants say hospital doctors do not write the generic names of drugs on prescription slips.

“On the prescription slips we get,majority of the doctors continue to write the trade names of medicines,” pharmacist Ranjita,working at the store since its opening,said. “Only doctors of the Psychiatry Department write the generic name along with the trade name. Sometimes,they even guide poor patients to the store.”

Also,the store needs to update its stock. It sells around 150 products,including tablets,injections,syrups and surgical material,but complete ‘indoor’ medicines like those used in surgeries are not available.

Surinder Verma,chairman of NGO Consumer Awareness Forum,said awareness was needed to ensure popularity of these stores.

Recently,Verma organised a workshop to promote generic drugs in Punjab. “At the workshop,the consensus was that NGOs should popularise these stores,” he said. “Also,the supply of medicines to these stores should be strengthened.”

UT plans four more stores

The UT Health department plans to open four more Jan Aushadhi stores in the city. These may come up in GMCH-32,GMSH-16 and the at the health centres in Sector 22 and Manimajra. “Work is on to finalise the plans,” an official said.