Benefits and Services of the Swasth Ke Sipahi

During this lockdown period, Swasth ke Sipahi provides essential services by making quality generic medicines available to the common people of the country and the elderly persons at affordable prices at their doorstep to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scheme is being implemented through a registered society, namely the Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), which is working under the administrative control of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertiliser. Working as part of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMJAK), pharmacists are extending essential services by making available quality generic medicines at affordable prices to the common people at their doorstep to fight the Corona pandemic. 

Vision and Implementation of Swasth ke Sipahi

To bring down the healthcare budget of every citizen of India by providing Quality generic  Essential Medicines at Affordable Prices. The Scheme is being implemented through a registered society, namely the Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), which is working under the administrative control of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertiliser. To make available quality generic medicines at affordable prices to all, the ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ was launched by the Government in November 2008 across the country.

In September 2015, the ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ was revamped as ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana’ (PMJAY).

In November 2016, to give further impetus to the Scheme, it was again renamed “Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana” (PMBJP).

Benefits and Services of Swasth ke Sipahi 

Will make available quality drugs at affordable prices through dedicated stores selling generic medicines available at lesser prices but equivalent in quality and efficacy to expensive branded drugs.

Promote greater awareness about cost-effective drugs and their prescription. Make available unbranded quality generic medicines at affordable prices through a public-private partnership. Encourage doctors, more specifically in government hospitals, to prescribe generic medicines.

Enable substantial savings in health care, particularly in poor patients and those suffering from chronic ailments requiring long periods of drug use.

Ensure access to quality medicines.

Extend coverage of quality generic  Essential medicines to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines and redefine the unit cost of treatment per person.

Create awareness about generic medicines through education and publicity so that quality is not synonymous with only high prices.

A public programme involving Government, PSUs, Private Sector, NGOs, Societies, Co-operative Bodies and other Institutions.

In such times, all PMJAKs play a key role in ensuring the availability of essential medicines and delivering them at their doorstep. As informed by BPPI, recently, one of their “Swasth ke Sipahi” shared his experience. He told B about an older woman who called him at PMBJK, Pahadiya, and Varanasi, asking for help. According to the Pharmacist, the older woman lived with her husband in Varanasi alone and had exhausted the stock of her daily medicines. Consuming these medicines regularly is critical to maintaining her bodily functions. The pharmacist could not stop himself from helping the couple. As she asked, he collected the medicines and set out to deliver the same at her house. Since then, the pharmacist has been delivering medicines to the sick and elderly at their doorstep, one central warehouse in Gurugram, two regional warehouses at Guwahati and Chennai, and around 50 distributors are working towards ensuring a surplus supply of the medicines to all the kendras, across the country. To control the supplies of the medicines, set up a strong SAP-based end to the endpoint of sales software to avoid any stockout situation. Mobile application “Jan Aushadhi Sugam” is also available for the common public to locate their nearest Kendra and the availability of medicines with its price. 

Mission of Swasth ke Sipahi

Create awareness among the public regarding generic medicines.

Create demand for generic medicines through medical practitioners.

Create awareness through education and awareness programs that high price need not be synonymous with high quality.

Provide all the commonly used generic medicines covering all the therapeutic groups.

Provide all the related health care products too under the Scheme. Making quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, through exclusive outlets “Jan Aushadhi Medical Store”, to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare.

Conclusion

To stop the spreading of Coronavirus, the Government of India placed a lockdown of 21 days across the country. In such times, all PMJAKs play a key role in ensuring the availability of essential medicines and delivering them at their doorstep. The quality, safety and efficacy of medicines are ensured by getting each batch of medicines procured tested from NABL approved laboratories and conforming to the required standards before the same are supplied to Jan Aushadhi Stores from the warehouse of BPPI.