CHENNAI: A thousand pharmacies, Mudalvar Marundhagam, which will sell generic and branded drugs, nutraceuticals, and Indian medicines at prices up to 75% lower than market value across the state, were launched in Tamil Nadu by chief minister M K Stalin here on Monday. These pharmacies aim to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of people who go to private hospitals for treatment, he said.
Health and education are high priorities for the govt, Stalin said, listing various schemes introduced by the govt after the Covid-19 pandemic. “We ensure we implement schemes that assure quality education and healthcare for all despite financial crises and hurdles posed by the centre,” Stalin said.
The STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) study, which assessed the prevalence of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risk factors among the population in the 16-69 age group, found nearly 30% had hypertension and 18% had diabetes.
“This is a very high incidence. Many of these people spend a substantial amount on medicines for keeping these conditions under control,” Chief Secretary N Muruganandam said. “These pharmacies aim at reducing this out-of-pocket expenditure for these families by providing quality medicines at a subsidised price,” he said. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for nearly 75% of all deaths in Tamil Nadu, according to the health department.
In addition to making medicines affordable, these pharmacies will provide job opportunities for D Pharm and B Pharm graduates in the state, Stalin said. While entrepreneurs will receive Rs 3 lakh as govt subsidy in two instalments – in cash and as medicines, co-operative societies will receive a loan of Rs 2 lakh. Those selected were trained by the govt.
Generic drugs required for the stores will be procured by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation in bulk and stored at its centralised facility in Saligram. The drugs will be dispatched to district warehouses maintained by the co-operatives department in districts. The drugs will be dispatched to stores from there. Nutraceuticals, Indian medicines, and branded drugs will be sourced by the co-operatives department directly from the manufacturers and distributed through its supply chain.