Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers H.N. Ananth Kumar on Thursday said it was up to the Kerala government to decide if it wanted to be part of the ‘Jan Aushadhi scheme’ initiated by the Centre to make available essential generic medicines at 50 to 60 per cent lower rates than their branded varieties.
Letter to State
“I have written to the Health Minister of Kerala a few months ago asking him to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre to open Jan Aushadhi centres in all district and taluk government hospitals in Kerala,” Mr. Kumar, also in-charge of pharmaceuticals, told the media after launching the district-level promotional campaign on the achievements of the Narendra Modi government on its first anniversary.
Mr. Kumar said the State should provide space at all these hospitals to open generic medicine centres. While seven States had already signed a pact with the Centre, several had not responded. The Centre had no qualms in providing the facility at more government hospitals besides extending it to health centres run by “non-government organisations, cooperative societies, and trusts like the Mata Amritanandamayi Math,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said the Union government would also make an effort to bring medical and surgical implements under the drug price control regime.
Earlier, he launched a frontal attack on the Congress and the previous UPA government saying that the country had now moved from the “dark ages” to an “age of resurrection.”
