G20 Summit 2023: Some delegates at the G20 Health Working Group visited a Jan Aushadhi Kendra in Goa and showed keen interest in it. According to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, some of the delegates want to emulate such Jan Aushadi Kendra in their country for which India will provide all possible help.
Mandaviya, who was accompanying the group of delegates, explained to them how the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana or PMBJP make sure that individuals in every nook and corner of the country have access to quality and affordable medicines.
Health was never liked with commerce: Mandaviya
Stressing that health was never liked with commerce, Mandaviya said that more than 9,500 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are already operational in the country.
“The delegates of the G20 Health Working Group meeting visited the Jan Aushadhi Kendra. They showed keen interest in the public welfare project and gathered detailed information related to it. Some of these delegates even want to implement this scheme in their country. India will provide all possible help to them in this regard,” Mandaviya said.
According to Vinod Menon, the in-charge of the Jan Aushadhi Kendra in Panaji, the delegates were curious to understand the entire process of how medicines are manufactured and then distributed to all the centres all around India.
“They were interested in understanding from where the medicines are procured by the government or are manufactured. Also, they were curious to know how these medicines are delivered to different centres. They were also interested in the software through which the stock and sale of the drugs are tracked,” Menon said.
Oluchi Ezeajughi, a delegate from Nigeria, was all praise about the scheme and said the government is doing great in bringing healthcare closer to the common people. “It is a laudable initiative to help the population lead a healthy life,” Ezeajughi added.
Terming the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana an “impressive” initiative, Tracey Julie Mcneill from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said the model can be replicated to make medicines more affordable and accessible for the common man.