Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya, while giving a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today, stated that as on 31.12.2018, 4677 ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana’ (PMBJP) Kendras are functional in 35 States/UTs of the country.
Shri Mandaviya informed that unbranded generic medicines worth Rs. 417 crores (MRP) have been sold through PMBJP Kendras from inception of the scheme till the end of December 2018. This sale is roughly equivalent to sale of Rs. 2085 crores of the branded medicines. Thus, PMBJP has resulted in the saving of approximately Rs. 1668 crores to the citizens of country.
PMBJP was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India with an objective of making available quality generic medicines at affordable prices to all. Under this scheme, unbranded generic medicines of good quality are made available through outlets called PMBJP Kendras. In order to ensure quality of medicines sold through PMBJP Kendras, the medicines are procured only from WHO-GMP certified manufacturers, the Minister stated.
The product basket of the scheme covers more than 800 medicines and 154 surgicals & consumables covering all 23 major therapeutic groups such as Anti-infectives, Anti-diabetics, Cardiovasculars, Anti-cancers, Gastro-intestinal medicines, etc. The Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of a medicine sold through PMBJP outlets is fixed in such a way that it is at least 50% below the average MRP of corresponding top three brands of that medicine.
The Minister stated that in some cases, the MRP is fixed at such a low rate that it is 90% below the MRP of corresponding branded medicines. Thus, quality generic medicines are made available to people of the country at a much cheaper rate viz-a-viz the prevalent market rate of branded medicines.