Centre Pushes Generic Medicines with States, Jan Aushadhi Kendras Soar

• MoS Health Anupriya Patel stated the Centre is collaborating with states to promote generic medicine adoption in government hospitals.
• National Medical Council regulations mandate all registered practitioners to prescribe generic medicines.
• Central government hospitals are instructed to prescribe generics, and state medical councils are advised to follow suit.
• Both generic and branded medicines undergo routine quality, safety, and efficacy checks.
• Jan Aushadhi Kendras increased from 80 (pre-2014) to 18,000, offering 50-90% discounts on over 2,100 medicines and surgical equipment, saving common citizens Rs 38,000 crore.