PM Modi highlights medical education fee cut, benefits of Jan Aushadhi Kendras

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Monday lauded the ‘Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana’, emphasising that the poor and the middle class have benefitted from the scheme with over 8,600 pharmacies across the country that provide low cost quality medicine resulting in savings of Rs 13,000 crore for the needy so far.

The number of Jan Aushadhi stores, where medicines are 50-90% cheaper than market rates, have increased in last eight years to 8,675 in 2021-22 from 86 in 2014-15, as per health ministry data. Apart from 1,451 essential medicines and 240 medical devices, over 21 crore Suvidha sanitary pads were also sold to women for Re 1 through these stores till January.

In his interaction with beneficiaries of the scheme, he said Jan Aushadhi centres have given relief to people on a large scale by making affordable medicines available and reducing their expenses on healthcare.

He also said a few days back, the government has taken another big decision, which will benefit the poor and middle-class children. “We’ve decided that half the seats in private medical colleges will be charged at par with government medical colleges” Modi stated.