Karnataka has the second highest number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country and there are plans to open many more, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said.
With 1,052 stores selling generic medicines at subsidised rates, Karnataka is second only to UP. Kerala comes third, he said.
The state has opened 300 stores since February and plans to seek permission from the Bureau of Pharma PSUs in India (BPPI) to open 500 more, including 40 at government hospitals, said Sudhakar, who is a medical doctor by professional training.
Of the 1,000-odd Jan Aushadhi Kendras, 200 have been set up in government hospitals.
The government is planning to open more stores in rural areas and there is demand from North Karnataka and old Mysore regions, he said. Overall, 500 more stores will be set up.
The minister said that a total of 1,451 drugs, 240 surgery tools and expensive cancer drugs are available in the Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
He said many pharma graduates had expressed interest to open the Kendras, and that 160 sq ft of space would be given to them for free in government institutions.
The BPPI pays every outlet a subsidy of Rs 15,000 for the monthly procurement of medicines and is empowered to extend the subsidy to Rs 2.5 lakh, he said.
Published 12 November 2022, 17:17 IST