SHILLONG: The Affordable Medicines and Retail Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Pharmacy, which was launched last September, does not attract many buyers, most of whom are also unaware of the facility.
AMRIT pharmacy was launched by Union Health Minister J P Nadda in November 2015, to facilitate sell of cancer and cardiac medicines at highly discounted rates. In Shillong, the AMRIT pharmacy is situated in a quiet corner on the premises of the Civil Hospital and not many buyers can be seen outside the shop.
An employee at the pharmacy told The Shillong Times that it would be difficult say how many buyers come but “on an average, there are 80 persons in one day”. The pharmacy sells all kinds of medicines with focus on oncology and implant treatments. “Many are not aware of the pharmacy here,” the employee added.
The employee added that the price of oncology drugs is reduced by 60-70 per cent to make sure that the drugs are affordable to the poor. For general medicines, prices are reduced by 10-20 percent.
“If an oncology drug costs Rs 9,000, at AMRIT, we sell it at Rs 5,000,” said another employee at the counter.
The then Mission Director, HM Shangpliang, during the inauguration of the AMRIT Pharmacy had said as on July 31 last year 30.68 lakh patients benefitted from AMRIT pharmacies and saved Rs 164.10 crore, thereby reducing the out of pocket expenditure.
The first AMRIT outlet was opened at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in November 2015. Shillong is the 85th AMRIT pharmacy in the country.
