Uttar Pradesh (1,432), Karnataka (1,098), Kerala (983) and Tamil Nadu (940) lead the tally in States having the most number of Janaushadhi Kendras across India, with Ladakh (two), Sikkim (five), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (nine) lagging behind on the list.
With 9,782 outlets already functional, the Health Ministry aims to open 10,000 new Janaushadhi Kendras across the country by the end of the year. With the aim to ensure its presence in 745 districts in the country (including 112 aspirational districts), the Janaushadhi Kendras are to expand to 25,000 outlets by 2028-29, according to government data.
Janaushadhi Kendras under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) aim to make quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged. “While reducing out-of-pocket expenses in healthcare, the Janaushadhi Kendras are now adding to the list of medicines and supplies available here,” a senior Health Ministry official explained.
According to the actionable points presented by the government for the expansion, approximately 2,500-3,000 new Janaushadhi Kendras will be opened every year. Currently, only 651 districts have Janaushadhi Kendras, and online applications are being invited from 765 districts.
“Also, the existing distance criteria of 1-1.5 km will be revised on the basis of viability and sales potential, and efforts are underway to cover all blocks of the country as, currently, 56% of the blocks are covered under the scheme. The product range will be increased to up to 2,500 medicines and 350 surgical and consumable equipment. The aim is to establish a resilient supply chain by end-to-end solution,” the official noted.
State governments or others, including reputed NGOs, doctors, unemployed pharmacists, and individual entrepreneurs are eligible to apply for new Janaushadhi Kendra stores. The applicants are required to employ one B. Pharma/D. Pharma degree holder as a pharmacist in their proposed store.
The Janaushadhi initiative, besides making quality drugs available at affordable prices via dedicated stores selling generic medicines that are available at lower prices but have the equivalent quality and efficacy of costlier branded drugs, also promote awareness on cost-effective drugs issued with prescriptions, and encourage doctors, more specifically in government hospitals, to prescribe generic medicines.
The Central government is also working to identify more good quality suppliers who will meet the demand for medicines and other equipment, increase the number of warehouses to about 10 across India, and have more testing labs with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation (approximately 25-50 spread across the country).
