Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will launch a generic medical store scheme in the state on October 20, under which medicines will be provided at affordable rates, an official said on Thursday.
Under this scheme named Shri Dhanvantari Dawa Yojana, 188 medical stores will be opened in 169 urban bodies, where generic medicines will be sold at more than 50 per cent discount on the maximum retail price (MRP), a government public relations officer said.
The scheme will be launched with 85 generic medical stores, whereas the remaining shops will also start by the end of this month, he said.
In the next phase, arrangements will also be made for home delivery of medicines from these shops, he added.
Baghel said his government has taken many effective steps to benefit the poor and the deprived sections of the society. Taking another initiative in this direction, the state government is going to start generic medical stores. Now, affordable medicines will be accessible to all. Efforts will be made to spread the benefits of this scheme to as many people as possible. This will reduce the burden of expenditure on medicines, he added. The expansion of health facilities in Chhattisgarh has been the top priority of the state government and several initiatives have been taken in this regard in rural and urban areas, the chief minister said.
In urban areas, facilities have been extended to the ground level through Mukhyamantri Slum Health Scheme, City Diagnostic Centre, Dai Didi Clinic, etc. Now, Shri Dhanvantari Dawa Yojana is being started to provide high-quality subsidised medicines to the general public.
The shops are being provided to the operators of the generic medical store on rent by the civic bodies at an attractive rate of Rs 2 per sq ft. Along with this, an assurance has also been given to buy medicines in other schemes from these generic medical stores. The responsibility of successful operation of the scheme has been given to the UPSS constituted under the chairmanship of district collector. (PTI)
