India’s ability to afford healthcare has been greatly aided by the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) program and the Prime Minister Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). In the Lok Sabha, Union Health Minister J P Nadda emphasized the benefits of these programs, stating that they had all helped patients save a significant amount of money on prescription drugs and medical equipment.
Under PMBJP, 1,965 drugs and 235 medical devices are available at Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country. These centers offer products at a discounted price ranging from 52 to 80 percent, making essential medications and devices more accessible to the public. As a result, patients have saved over Rs 28,000 crore due to the reduced prices at Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals established the PMBJP with the goal of giving all residents, especially the underprivileged and impoverished, access to high-quality generic medications at reasonable costs. The program’s goal is to lower every citizen’s healthcare costs by providing inexpensive generic medications through special locations called Jan Aushadhi Kendras. The program aims to lessen the financial strain on families and guarantee that more people have access to critical therapies by lowering the cost of important medications.
Apart from PMBJP, the AMRIT initiative has been crucial in cutting healthcare expenses. AMRIT, a flagship project of the Union Health Ministry, was established in 2015 with the goal of offering highly subsidized medications for a range of ailments, including serious conditions like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Through a network of AMRIT pharmacies, which provide pharmaceuticals and medical equipment at markedly reduced costs relative to the market, this program is run. Health Minister Nadda claims that by using the AMRIT program to purchase medications and equipment, patients have saved Rs 24,273 crore.
The government’s commitment to lowering costs and increasing accessibility to healthcare is shown in both PMBJP and AMRIT. These programs work at ensuring that people’s financial needs are met by providing necessary medications and medical equipment at a discounted cost. The significant financial savings that patients have reported highlight the beneficial effects of these measures in lowering the total cost of healthcare for Indian families.
The Indian government is working to improve the affordability and accessibility of healthcare services, and these projects are a part of that larger endeavor. The government hopes to further lessen the financial burden of medical costs for its inhabitants and enhance population health outcomes by extending the reach of PMBJP and AMRIT. The effectiveness of these programs emphasizes how crucial government action is to maintaining access to basic healthcare for all societal groups.
SOURCE:
THE PRINT
