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Now, open a medical store with up to Rs 2.5 lakh government aid
NEW DELHI: Want to utilise your vacant real estate?
NEW DELHI: Want to utilise your vacant real estate?
You can now open a medical store there, with the government giving you financial assistance worth up to Rs 2.5 lakh!
The move is part of the government’s effort to revive its ‘Jan Aushadhi’ scheme, the flagship programme to provide medicines at one fifth of the market cost.
So, a 100 mg generic tablet of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, which costs Rs 60 at a regular medical shop, can be purchased from a Jan Aushadhi centre at Rs 4.
“The plan is to attract more stakeholders across India. Till now, we offered assistance to qualified pharmacists, government and semi-government hospitals and non-profit organisations. We are now targeting individuals who want to do business and take our franchise. To encourage such individuals, we will offer Rs 15,000 every month, up to a maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh,” Mansukh Mandaviya, minister of state, ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, told HT.
Besides, the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP), which manages the scheme, is eyeing private companies, mostly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to partner with the government in rolling out the scheme.
“We are also reviving sick units, including Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd, to supply the generics,” Mandaviya said.
“The Prime Minister’s Office is expecting to revamp the scheme so that it could become the government’s flagship project, similar to the Jan Dhan financial inclusion scheme,” according to top sources in the health ministry.
The Jan Aushadhi scheme was launched in 2008, but has had a a wobbly track record, mainly due to supply constraints.
The scheme, now rebranded the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi scheme’, received a push in the Budget with a proposal for a national roll-out of 3,000 stores, compared to the existing 400.
“Our target is to open 3,000 outlets by the end of March 2017. However, we have opened just 400 outlets till date. We need to expedite the launch of the outlets to reach our target,” said the sources quoted above.
The government plans to sell around 1,259 total products at each of the outlets, which will comprise 1,105 drugs, including antibiotics, anti-cardiac, anti-infective and gastrointestinal medicines, 109 surgical equipments and 45 medical devices.
But according to real estate experts, individuals should pick the option (of setting up their own store) after carefully observing the demand for the products in the particular locality.
“The location of the outlet will be a critical factor, and success of the undertaking depends on the demand for products sold. One needs to consider the associated logistics and requirement of labour while calculating the cost associated with the venture,” said Santosh Kumar, chief executive officer, operations and international, director at JLL.
