While every AIIMS in the country today has an AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) Pharmacy, the next challenge is to ensure that every medical college and every district Hospital in India is equipped with AMRIT Pharmacy, so that affordable medicines reach citizens at every level of the healthcare system, said Union minister of health and family welfare J P Nadda.
He was inaugurating AMRIT Pharmacy’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. During the event, Nadda also inaugurated 10 new AMRIT outlets across India, marking a significant step toward enhancing affordable access to essential medicines and medical supplies for patients nationwide. He also launched AMRIT ITes – Eco Green Version 2.0, an upgraded and environmentally sustainable digital platform that will streamline operations, enhance transparency, and improve efficiency across the AMRIT network. The event also featured the release of Customised My Stamp in association with India Post.
He said that AMRIT has grown into a robust national network, with over 255 pharmacies currently operational, with a vision to expand this network to 500 outlets across the country.
Since their inception in 2015, AMRIT Pharmacies have been instrumental in providing life-saving and essential medicines at discounts ranging from 50% to 90%, substantially bringing down treatment costs for patients, especially those from low-income backgrounds.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda congratulated HLL Lifecare Ltd, the implementing agency of AMRIT Pharmacies in the country, for its consistent and high-quality efforts in implementing the project.
Highlighting the achievements of AMRIT pharmacy, he stated that, offering 50 percent discounts on branded medicines is a significant achievement benefiting more than 6.85 crore patients and reiterated that medicines worth over Rs. 17,000 at MRP have been dispensed so far, resulting in cumulative savings of approximately Rs. 8,500 crore for patients.
He also underscored the importance of increasing public awareness about AMRIT Pharmacies. He stated that more citizens must be informed about the benefits and availability of AMRIT outlets so they can actively seek and utilize the affordable services offered.
Punya Salila Srivastava, Union health secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, stated that the “HLL family and the AMRIT Pharmacy network have assured that they will continue to expand the network, improve systems, and further strengthen operations with Josh, Junoon and Jazbaat—energy, enthusiasm and spirit.”
A Coffee Table Book capturing AMRIT’s decade-long milestones, success stories, and impact on healthcare accessibility was released during the event. In addition, a Mobile Pharmacy Van for rural outreach in the NCR region was flagged off, enabling doorstep delivery of affordable medicines to underserved and remote communities. Furthermore, to strengthen citizen interface, a 24x7 National Contact Centre was inaugurated to offer real-time assistance on medicine availability, pricing, and the nearest AMRIT Pharmacy locations. |