As many as 8,689 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) have been opened, covering all districts in the country under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

Sales of affordable quality generic medicines under the PMBJP stood at Rs 814.21 crore in the ongoing fiscal, leading to an estimated savings of about Rs 4,800 crore to the citizens, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed Rajya Sabha.

The government has set a target to have about 10,500 PMBJKs by March 2025 across the country. The target for the year 2022-23 is to have about 9,300 PMBJKs across the country.

What is PMBJP?

• Jan Aushadhi was launched by the government in 2008 for making quality medicines available at affordable prices for all. The campaign was undertaken through the sale of generic medicines through exclusive outlets namely Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra in various districts of the country.

• It was later renamed as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). 

• It aims to bring down the health care budget of citizens by providing quality generic medicines at affordable prices.

• The scheme is being implemented through the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), which is working under the administrative control of the department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of chemicals & fertilisers.

Objectives of the scheme:

• To popularise generic medicines among the masses and dispel the prevalent notion that low priced generic medicines are of inferior quality or are less effective.

• To make available quality medicines consumables and surgical items at affordable prices for all and thereby reduce out of pocket expenditure of consumers/patients.

• Generate employment by engaging individual entrepreneurs in the opening of PMBJP Kendras.

Other key points:

• The product basket of the scheme now covers 1,616 medicines and 250 surgical items covering all major therapeutic groups such as cardiovascular, anti-cancers, anti-diabetics, anti-infectives, anti-allergic, gastro-intestinal medicines and nutraceuticals, among others.

• The endeavour of the government is to enhance the product basket of generic medicines and surgicals. It is a continuous process based on feedback of various stakeholders and market demands.

• The medicines listed in the product list of PMBJP are procured only from World Health Organisation – Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP) certified suppliers for ensuring the quality of the products. Apart from this, each batch of the drug is tested at laboratories accredited by the ‘National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories’ (NABL). Only after passing the quality tests, the medicines are dispatched to PMBJP Kendras.

• A medicine under PMBJP is priced on the principle of a maximum of 50 per cent of the average price of the top three branded medicines. Therefore, the price of Janaushadhi medicines is cheaper at least by 50 per cent and in some cases, by 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the market price of branded medicines.

• A mobile application ‘Janaushadhi Sugam’ has also been launched with user-friendly options like — locate nearby PMBJK (direction guided through Google Maps), search Janaushadhi medicines, etc. 

• During the two years of COVID-19 pandemic, the PMBJP achieved a sale of Rs 665.83 crore during the financial year 2020-21, which has led to the savings of about Rs 4,000 crore to the citizens as compared to the branded medicines.

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