Mangaluru, May 02, 2017: The Centre is thinking about making it mandatory for doctors to prescribe generic medicines to patients than the branded ones, according to Ananth Kumar, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Speaking at a the launch of Jan Aushadhi stores in Dakshina Kannada district, Mangaluru on Saturday, he said his ministry is in touch with the Medical Council of India (MCI) in this matter.
The Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, has been requested to inform MCI to amend its statutes in this regard. He said the Jan Aushadhi stores provide 650 drugs and 150 health supplements at one-third the price of branded ones. Terming it as a revolution in healthcare sector, he said it leads to health security of people.
Kumar said the number of Jan Aushadhi centres went up from 99 to 1,100 in a period of one year. He added that Nalin Kumar Kateel, Dakshin Kannada MP, has shown interest to establish around 100 such stores in his constituency.
He also urged Kateel to nudge the State government to set up a plastic park in Mangaluru. His ministry is ready to sanction a plastic park for the region, provided the State government takes interest in this regard.
Companies such Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd can play a pivotal role in the establishment of such a park. Stating that a plastic park can generated several thousand jobs in the region, he said now there is no plastic park in Karnataka.
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