Sales under PMBJP grows 33% in first nine months of the fiscal year 2022-23

New Delhi, January 23, 2023:

Sales of medicines and related products through the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) has grown 33.32 per cent during the first nine months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of last year, even as the total number of outlets touched 9,000, according to data from Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP).

According to the data, collated from the monthly statistics released by the DoP, the total sales at Maximum Retail Price (MRP) during the nine months from April to December, 2022, stood at around Rs 870.13 crore as compared to Rs 652.67 crore reported during the same period of previous fiscal year. The growth is much higher, if compared to theRs 32.66 crore sales reported for the fiscal year 2016-17.

During the nine months, sales through the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the implementing agency of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), has resulted in savings of around Rs 5,200 crore to the citizens. According to official estimates, the affordable drug initiative has helped the citizen to saave around Rs 18,000 crore in the last eight years.

In the financial year 2021-22, during 12 months, PMBI had reported sales of Rs. 893.56 Crore which led to savings of approximately Rs. 5,300 crore to the citizens. During the month of December, 2022, 84 PMBJKs were added to take the total number of outlets to 9,000 across the country. DoP has recently said that the target is to increase these kendras to 10500 by March 2025.

During the month of December, sales under PMBJP at MRP value was Rs 110.40 crore, with a projected savings of around Rs 662 crore to the common man. There are around 1,759 medicines and 280 surgical products in the product basket at the end of December, 2022, according to data.

“The target is to enhance the product basket to include 2000 medicines and 300 surgical products by March 2025 so that all essential medicines covering therapeutic groups, like - Anti Diabetics, Cardiovascular Drugs, Anti-Cancer, Analgesics & Antipyretics, Anti Allergic, Gastrointestinal Agents, Vitamins, Minerals & Food supplements, Tropical Medicines, etc. are provided,” said the Department in its Annual Review report in the end of December.

Under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) scheme, dedicated outlets are opened all over the country to provide generic medicines at affordable prices to the masses from the year 2008-09. However, the growth in terms of number of outlets picked up only from 2014-15 during when a total of 86 outlets were open.

Prices of the Jan Aushadhi medicines are generally 50%-90% less than that of branded medicines which are available in the open market. Medicines are procured from World Health Organization – Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP) certified suppliers only for ensuring the quality of the products, said the Department.

To ensure easy availability of the menstrual health services to all women across the country, “Janaushadhi Suvidha Oxy-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin” are available for sale in all PMBJP Kendras across the country at Re 1 per sanitary pad.

The Department has implemented an IT-enabled End to End Supply Chain system and one central warehouse at Gurugram and three regional warehouses at Chennai, Guwahati & Surat till the end of November, 2022. Further, it has been planned to open two more warehouses in Western and Central India, according to DoP. Pharmabiz