Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 17: Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare J.P. Nadda today inaugurated through video conferencing three new “AMRIT” drug outlets at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Imphal and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) Shillong.
Also present on the occasion was Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.
With the opening of three new outlets today, the total number of AMRIT outlets opened across the country so far has gone up to 12 while the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare plans to open three more outlets during the next month which would take the total to 15. As per the envisaged plan, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare plans to open 300 new AMRIT drug outlets in near future.
Speaking on the occasion, J.P. Nadda said that in the first phase, the centrally managed hospitals and medical institutions are being provided with AMRIT drug outlets which would offer quality drugs at low cost. Subsequently, he said, similar outlets will be opened in all the Medical Colleges of the country, after which the initiative can be carried forward to the District level health institutions as well.
Nadda said, the AMRIT outlets will primarily consist of drugs and surgical implants which are normally available at high price in the market. These would include drugs for cancer, diabetis, heart ailment, stunts, etc, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while speaking on the occasion, hailed the government initiatives for affordable healthcare. He said, this is one step towards eventually providing the society with free healthcare or extending health insurance cover to every section of society so that nobody should be at disadvantage, simply because of economic constraints or high cost of medical treatment.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, among the various pro-poor initiatives taken by the Modi government during the last over two years, health initiatives aimed at people living below poverty line are the most significant ones. He also mentioned Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech wherein he had referred to the plan to provide a cover of Rs. 1 lakh per annum to every citizen below the poverty line.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
