Remedy to rising drug prices

Govt. run drug stores in each district soon

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, July 29: With rising prices of medicines making even basic drugs out of reach of common man, state government has mooted a proposal to open up government run drug stores at each district to benefit the poor.

The fair price shop would be opened under Jan Aushadhi Drug Stores (JADS) sponsored by the Union Health Ministry. In the first phase these stores have been proposed at SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar and one each at Leh and Kargil and later the central scheme would be extended to other districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said that as most of the medicines are being supplied through the distributors-pharma companies’ nexus and government wants to open the shops targeting rural areas of the state.

“One benefit of opening these shops is that drug stores would ensure quality medicines at affordable prices to people particularly the poor, who are the main sufferers  of the rising medicine prices”, said a official.

Even the draft drug policy which has been formulated by the state government and waiting from the nod of the Cabinet has a provision to open four drug stores in the State where generic drugs would be provided to the people on reasonable and affordable costs. A committee has been constituted under the Chief Secretary to formulate a comprehensive scheme for establishment of drug stores in the state for supplying low cost, high quality generic medicines to the people.

"There should be provisions for establishing and running of such drug stores competently for the larger benefits of general public, especially the poor”, said a health official.

Minister for State for Health, Javed Ahmed Dar said, “We will give this scheme a priority and union health ministry is also showing keen interest in implementing the project in the state”.

Official sources said that following the concern shown by the Central Government over influx of spurious drugs in Jammu and Kashmir, government has also decided to strengthen the drug laboratories with the central help so that drug analysis and tests of national and international standards are carried out there.

"There is greater concern over the dumping of spurious and sub-standard medicines in the market and there checking is necessary for the well being of the people”, said an official.

In recent years Jammu and Kashmir has invested crores of rupees in strengthening basic infrastructure in the state particularly in rural areas. With the increase in the increasing budget in the healthcare development, number of pharma companies has created market for their products here, with many of the companies dumping low cost drugs in the market which has become a major concern for the administration.