Five AMRIT (affordable medicines and reliable implants for treatment) pharmacies will start operations in Haryana from August 15 bringing quality medicines to the public at low cost, said additional chief secretary (ACS), health, Sumita Misra on Friday. The ACS said the pharmacies would begin functioning at Fatehabad, Hansi, Sirsa, Charkhi Dadri and Hisar.
Misra said AMRIT pharmacies are being established across district civil hospitals alongside Vita milk parlours and sites have been identified across the state.
The district-wise rollout is expected to provide particular relief to ordinary families, senior citizens and patients requiring long-term or regular medication, for whom even a modest reduction in medicine costs can translate into significant savings over time.
AMRIT is a flagship initiative of the Union ministry of health and family welfare, implemented through HLL Lifecare Limited. The initiative is aimed at reducing patients’ expenditure on treatment by making medicines, implants and surgical consumables available at discounts of up to 50% on maximum retail price, an official spokesperson said.
The initiative is particularly important for patients suffering from serious and life-threatening conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, where the cost of medicines, implants and other medical consumables can place a considerable financial burden on families, the spokesperson added.
Misra said that affordable healthcare was not limited to building hospitals and expanding medical infrastructure; it was equally important to ensure that the cost of medicines does not prevent a patient from continuing treatment. The expansion of AMRIT pharmacies is therefore being undertaken with a clear focus on making essential and quality medicines more accessible at the district level.
{{/usCountry}}Misra said that affordable healthcare was not limited to building hospitals and expanding medical infrastructure; it was equally important to ensure that the cost of medicines does not prevent a patient from continuing treatment. The expansion of AMRIT pharmacies is therefore being undertaken with a clear focus on making essential and quality medicines more accessible at the district level.
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