Coming up: Cheap generic drugs store at KGMU campus

LUCKNOW: Patients can expect cheap generic drugs on the King George’s Medical University campus from the last week of May.

On Wednesday an MoU was signed by the KGMU officials for AMRUT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) scheme . On behalf of KGMU, Prof Vijay Kumar, senior faculty in the department of orthopaedic surgery, signed the MoU in the presence of Prof NS Verma and other senior officials.

“To start, we will have two such shops,” said Prof Singh, and added, “One will be in Shatabdi Hospital complex, while the other place will be decided keeping in view load of patients.”

KGMU will now apply for drug license and then get the stock. This might take some time hence the shops will start in the last week of May and more shops will be added later.

Banaras Hindu University (a central university) is the first place where medicine shop was opened under AMRUT scheme and now KGMU is the first staterun institute in Uttar Pradesh to have such a shop. In India the AMRUT scheme was launched in 2015 and AIIMS New Delhi was the first organisation to start drug store under this scheme. A team from AMRUT scheme had visited the KGMU campus last week to finalise the MoU.

“The drug store will not only have generic drugs but also branded generic drugs, leaving no chance of selection of drugs with the shopkeeper,” said Prof Ajai.

The store will not only provide drugs including for cancer patients but also implants for patients coming to department of orthopaedic surgery, cardiology and general surgery. Thus implant for which the central government has fixed prices will also come cheap for the patients.

In India, 17 states have 84 drug stores under AMRUT that sell drugs and implants.

KGMU WILL NOW APPLY FOR DRUG LICENCE AND THEN GET THE STOCK. THE SHOPS WILL START IN THE LAST WEEK OF MAY AND MORE SHOPS WILL BE ADDED LATER