Parliament Question: Availability of Essential Medicines

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2142 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 31ST JULY 2026 Availability of Essential Medicines 2142. Shri Sanjay Dina Patil: Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has made any assessment regarding the availability, affordability and accessibility of essential medicines particularly through Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) and other public distribution mechanisms in Mumbai during the last three years, if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of Janaushadhi Kendras functioning, medicines supplied, beneficiaries covered and financial assistance provided under the scheme in Mumbai, during the said period; (c) whether the Government has identified shortages, supply-chain constraints or operational challenges affecting uninterrupted availability of affordable medicines in Mumbai, if so, the details thereof; and (d) the measures taken or proposed to be taken to expand the Janaushadhi network, strengthen pharmaceutical logistics, ensure availability of quality generic medicines and improve affordable healthcare access for the residents of Mumbai? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL) (a): Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the implementing agency of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojna (PMBJP), continuously monitors the availability of medicines including essential medicines at Jan Aushadhi Kendras, (JAKs) through an IT-enabled supply chain management system, regular review of stock positions, demand forecasting and timely replenishment including those operating in Mumbai. As per information provided by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), to ensure availability of essential drugs and reduce the Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) of the patients visiting the public health facilities, Government has rolled out the Free Drugs Service Initiative (FDSI) under National Health Mission (NHM). Under this, financial support is provided to States / Union Territories for provision of free essential medicines in public health facilities based on the requirements posed by them in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) within their overall resource envelope.MoH&FW has recommended facility wise Essential Medicines List (EML) to be made available at the public healthcare facilities: i. Sub Health Centre Ayushman Arogya Mandir (SHC-AAMs) - 113 ii. Primary Health Centre Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (PHC-AAMs) - 179 iii. Community Health Centers (CHCs) - 301 iv. Sub-District Hospital - 318 v. District Hospital (DHs) - 381 Support under the scheme is available for procurement of drugs and strengthening /setting up robust systems of procurement, Quality Assurance, supply chain management and warehousing, prescription audit, grievance redressal, dissemination of Standard Treatment guidelines and establishment of IT enabled platform DVDMS (Drugs & Vaccine Distribution Management System) for monitoring the real status of procurement and availability of essential medicines. To facilitate the monitoring of supply chain management activity at National level, a Central Dashboard has been developed. Also, under NHM, Common Review Missions (CRM) are conducted annually to assess and monitor the progress and implementation status of various schemes including FDSI. (b): As on 30.06.2026, a total of 20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) have been opened across the country of which, 763 JAKs have been opened in the State of Maharashtra. Further, the details of Janaushadhi Kendras functioning under the scheme in Mumbai, during the last three financial years (from F.Y. 2023-24 to 2025-26), is as under: Sl. No. Financial Year No. of new JAKs No. of JAKs functioning opened cumulatively 1 2023-24 11 73 2 2024-25 10 83 3 2025-26 16 99 4 2026-27 (Till 30.06.2026) 6 105 The product basket under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojna has 2,110 medicines and 315 surgicals, medical consumables and devices, covering all major therapeutic groups, such as cardiovascular, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-infectives, anti-allergic and gastro-intestinal medicines and nutraceuticals. Almost all generic medicines included in the National List of Essential Medicines, except lab reagents and vaccines, are part of this product basket. Separate data on the number of beneficiaries availing medicines from JAKs in Mumbai is not maintained. JAKs are retail outlets selling medicines directly to the customers. The footfall of the citizens at JAKs depends upon the requirement of the citizens and prescriptions received from the doctors. However, an estimated 15 lakh citizens visit the JAKs located across the entire country on a daily basis. Under PMBJP, normal incentive based on monthly purchase and onetime special incentive to special category applicants are being provided. In last three Financial Years Rs. 0.53 Crore have been disbursed to the JAK located in Mumbai, as per the guidelines of PMBJP. (c) and (d): No Sir, no specific shortages, supply-chain constraints or operational challenges affecting the uninterrupted availability of affordable medicines in Mumbai have beenidentified. Continuous monitoring and appropriate corrective measures are undertaken to minimize stock shortage and ensure availability of essential medicines across the country including Mumbai. In order to address any supply gaps and ensure smooth supply and availability of products at JAKs, the following measures are in place: (i) Since September 2024, stocking by JAKs of 200 commonly used medicines, consisting of the 100 top-selling medicines in the scheme product basket and 100 fast-selling medicines in the market, has been incentivised, under which JAK owners are eligible for monthly incentive based on the stocks that they maintain for these medicines. (ii) An end-to-end information-technology-enabled supply chain system is in place to connect a robust supply chain system consisting of five warehouses and a growing network of distributors across the country, currently numbering 42. (iii)In addition, with a view to ensure availability of commonly used products, 400 fast- moving products are monitored regularly by Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the scheme implementing agency, and demand for the same is estimated on a continuous basis. Further, steps have been taken to digitise the estimation method to augment the procurement process. *****