VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Vidadala Rajini has stressed the need to promote generic medicines. The medical and health department should take the initiative to promote generic medicines as 1,759 types of medicines were available in the Jan Aushadhi shops at low prices, she said.
The minister was the chief guest at the Jan Aushadhi Diwas programme organised by the government at the Nirmala College of Pharmacy, Mangalagiri, on Tuesday.
Rajini said some companies were trying to sell medicines at high prices and they should be discouraged from doing this. The name of the medicine related to the disease should be written on the medicine slips issued by doctors, she stressed.
“Medicines are available at cheap prices in generic medicine shops. These medicines are supplied directly by the company. Since these are high-quality medicines, it is the responsibility of the drug control authorities to encourage patients to buy medicines from Jan Aushadhi shops,” she said.
She said Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is keen that the government should provide free/cheap and good quality medical care to all the poor. All the government hospitals are being fully developed under the Nadu-Nedu programme and these are providing free medical care through Aarogyasri,” she said.
The minister said officials of the drug control department should work hard and fulfil the CM’s goal and ensure that the systems ran as per the NMC regulations. She asked officials to take action if anyone was writing prescriptions in the names of companies or promoting any company or its products in any drug store.
Rajini said that 1759 types of medicines and 280 surgical devices were available in Jan Aushadhi shops at low prices. Doctors and drug officers must ensure that especially patients suffering from chronic diseases are benefited from such services. At present, there existed 145 generic medicine shops/centres across the state, and the number would be increased further.
Chief secretary to the medical and health department Krishna Babu, Drug control DG Ravishankar Narayanan, Nirmala College president Maria Sundari, college principal Abdul Rehman and others were present.
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