25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras to come up in two years, says Nadda

The Union minister for health and family welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday announced that 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras will be opened across India by 2027 to provide affordable and high-quality medicines to people.

The Union minister, who visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bilaspur, also emphasised the government’s ongoing efforts to make healthcare more accessible and cost-effective for all citizens.

During his visit, Nadda inaugurated several key healthcare facilities and also interacted with AIIMS officials, doctors, and patients and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding healthcare services.

He also interacted with the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). He gathered feedback on the quality, efficacy and availability of medicines.

He also inaugurated the affordable medicines and reliable implants for treatment (AMRIT) Pharmacy on the third floor of AIIMS, Bilaspur. This pharmacy will offer life-saving medicines at a discount of over 50%.

As part of the visit, he inaugurated PET-CT (Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography) and SPECT-CT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scanners, installed at a cost of ₹25 crore. These advanced imaging tools will help in the accurate diagnosis of cancer, neurological disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Nadda also laid the foundation stone for a Virology Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) with an investment of ₹30 crore. The laboratory will be instrumental in the detection of infectious diseases and viral outbreaks. It will also play a crucial role in virus research, vaccine development, and epidemic management in the future.