Jeevanadhara stores to sell drugs at cheaper rates in Andhra Pradesh

This is a happy day for AP. Now generic drugs will be available in Osmania Hospital shop. The plan is to open such shops in each district. The seminar conducted yesterday was addressed by very senior officials in Osmania Hospital, Drugs Control dept, Minister for Health, CEO APMS&IDC and others. Very promising and positive statements were made. If there is a commitment this can become a great success like 104 or Aarogyasri schemes.

Please spread the news and awareness about generic drugs among your friends.

Vyasamoorthy

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HYDERABAD: To provide quality drugs at a low price for the poor, the AP Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMS&IDC) of the health department has decided to open 'Jeevandhra pharmacy stores' selling generic drugs at major government hospitals in the city. To begin with, a pharmacy would be opened at the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) on January 10 where about 340 varieties of drugs will made available for the people. Similar stores will be opened at Gandhi Hospital, Nims and Niloufer Hospital in the following weeks. These pharmacies would be run by NGOs like AP Senior Citizen's Confederation and Red Cross. The pharmacy at OGH would be run by the AP Senior Citizens' Confederation. 

APMS&IDC, on a pilot basis, had started some stores by roping in NGOs and non-profit organisations at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam and teaching hospitals in Vijayawada and Kakinda. These stores have been selling drugs worth nearly Rs four crore every month. Buoyed with the response, the medical corporation has now decided to open similar pharmacies in the city. 

"We are going to take up a massive campaign on the use of generic drugs, which are equally good in quality and cheap when compared to branded drugs. For instance, an antacid like Pantaprozole's branded tablet market retail price in the open market starts from Rs 60 for 10 tablets, whereas it costs only Rs 11 at Jeevandhra generic drugs," APMS&IDC general manager Ravi Udaya Bhaskar told TOI. 

The corporation has been facilitating the NGOs in procuring 340 essential drugs (generic) through clearing and forwarding agencies The Jeevandhra pharmacies would sell the drugs by taking only 10% over the production cost. As a result, people will get huge discount at Jeevandhra.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Jeevandhra-stores-to-sell-drugs-at-cheaper-rates/articleshow/11417548.cms