Jan Aashudhi Kendras ‘Shortage, of medicines in centers, patients dejected

Introduced with a motive to provide cheap (generic) medicines to the patients, the Jan Aashudhi Kendras are allegedly facing a crisis of medicines mostly prescribed by the doctors in the government hospitals thus leaving the patients dejected.

However, in view of absence of medicines at Jan Aushadhi Kendras, the patients are left with no other option to purchase them from private chemists and druggists at expensive rates.

Sources in the Health Department pleading anonymity revealed that the Jan Aashudhi Kendras opened in the Government Medical College (GMC) and its affiliated hospitals in Jammu city do not stock all of medicines prescribed by the doctors.

“Most of the stores neither have medicines nor the list of medicines mandatory to be in stock,” they claimed.

Notably, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar was the first to have generic medicines whereas the store at Government Medical College did not store generic medicines despite the court order.

In March this year, Prime Minister Jan Aushadhi Stores were also opened in the premises of Government Medical College Hospital, Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital, Super Specialty Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital and Chest Diseases Hospital.

“In many stores, the medicines are available based on the demand and requirement but not all medicines are in stock,” sources asserted and disclosed that the pharmacists are maintaining the record of the medicines, which are mandatory to be in stock but on ground, they are unavailable and the patients are forced to purchase them from the private shops.

Moreover, many Jan Aashudhi Kendras remain closed during the lunch time and are mostly found shut after 7 pm to 7:30 pm.

“Not only have the medicine crisis hit these stores but they have also to keep surgical items in stock to be purchased under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Sehat Yojana. The government has given specific instructions to buy medicines and surgical items under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme from Jan Aushadhi and Amrit stores, but these items are negligible in these Kendras,” sources added.