Live
- Share of top 50 stocks to total market cap at all-time low: Report
- Nortje ruled out of SA’s remaining white-ball matches against Pakistan
- Mamata doesn't want INDIA bloc to succeed, claims BJP's Rahul Sinha
- Air India Express cancels flights at Chennai airport due to deluge
- Kejriwal promises Rs 2,100 for Delhi women if AAP wins polls, BJP takes ‘lollipop’ jibe
- JPC Chairman supports Assam govt's 'No NRC, No Aadhaar,' rule
- Stoinis vows to revive Melbourne Stars’ glory with fresh leadership
- DDA easing freehold conversion of shops: MoS Sahu
- CP Sudheer Babu Updates on Manchu Family Cases
- Keerthy Suresh Marries Long-time Friend Antony Thattil in Goa
Generic medical shops fail to serve public
Generic medical shops are losing their relevance gradually and the purpose of setting it up is also getting defeated as their sales have dipped considerably.
Srikakulam: Generic medical shops are losing their relevance gradually and the purpose of setting it up is also getting defeated as their sales have dipped considerably.
With an aim to provide medicine at low cost for all long-term and critical diseases, the state government has launched generic medical shops in Visakhapatnam city in 2015 under the name of ‘Anna Sanjivini’ and later 266 shops were set up across the state.
Medicines for all diseases are available in these shops at a price reduction of 80 per cent against the prices of branded medicines. But the public have failed to get the facility and save the money due to lack of support from the doctors.
According to reports, doctors are not prescribing medicines available at these shops intentionally as they are allegedly collecting percentages from private medical shops where branded medicines were being sold at high price.
The state government is also not monitoring these generic shops to improve its sales, and instructions have not been issued to officials for taking steps to enhance the sales in these shops. People are unaware of the low prices and availability of quality medicine at these shops.
The district medical and health officials are not concentrating on these shops and directed the private doctors to prescribe generic medicines.
There is a huge variation in prices for medicines between private shops and generic medical shops.
The cost of 15 calcium tablets is Rs 63 at private shops and Rs 9 at generic shops. The cost of 10 multivitamin and mineral tablets is Rs 82 at private shops and Rs 22 at generic shops. Ten paracetamol tablets cost Rs 65 at private shops and Rs 11 at generic shops.
In Srikakulam, a total 11 generic shops were being run by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEMPA) across the district.
The total worth of the business since its establishment for all these 11 shops in the district is only Rs 1.34 placing it at the 11th place in the State, Chittooru and Nellore districts are placed at 12 and 13 in the business.
“Doctors are not prescribing generic medicine and as a result we are facing a tough time in running these shops,” B Ravi Kumar, District Programme Manager (DPM) of DRDA said while explaining facts to The Hans India here on Sunday.
“Generic medicines are equally qualitative but unfortunately people have failed to get its fruits due to various reasons and we will resolve it gradually by sensitising people and doctors.” district medical and health officer (DM&HO), Dr Sanapala Tirupathi Rao said.
By ch lakshmana rao
