MoU signed, J&K Hospitals await eleven AMRIT centers

JAMMU: The union health ministry, despite signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state health department more than a month back, has failed to open Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) centers under central government’s flagship health scheme in the designated hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The space has been provided to the union health ministry in the designated hospitals of the state besides meeting other formalities for opening the AMRIT centers but no work has yet not been started,” official sources informed The News Now.

The MoU between the state health department and the union health ministry was signed last month for opening the AMRIT centers, which have still not been opened despite the passage of more than four years since the scheme was launched by the central government to provide medicines and implants to the patients at much cheaper rates.

Sources informed that 11 AMRIT centers are to be opened in different hospitals of the state, including 4 in Jammu, 5 in Kashmir and 2 Leh, for which the space has been provided and other formalities and requirements have also been fulfilled as per the criteria of the union health ministry.

“We have requested the union health ministry to open the AMRIT centers at an earliest as already more than four years been wasted but the expert team is yet to visit the state for starting work regarding opening of centers,” official sources informed The News Now.

As part of the AMRIT programme, retail outlets will be opened in hospitals which will sell drugs/implants to the patients suffering from cancer and heart diseases at highly discounted rates.

Sources informed that the patients intending to avail health services under Ayushman Bharat are the worst sufferers to due non-availability of AMRIT centers in JK hospitals.

“They are not getting medicines and implants required for surgery and for cancer,” sources informed. In AMRIT centers, if opened, the patients could get medicines and implants at high discounts 24X7 but due to non-availability of these centers, the patients, especially, that of Ayushman Bharat, have been facing the brunt.

Under the programme, the AMRIT pharmacy would be selling 202 cancer and 186 cardio-vascular drugs, and 148 types of cardiac implants at very affordable prices. Patients can buy medicines and implants at 50 to 60 percent cheaper prices than the open market from AMRIT outlets.

The project was floated in a tie-up with government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) which is deputed to establish and run the AMRIT chain of pharmacies across the country.

In Jammu, AMRIT centers are proposed to be opened at region’s premier hospital, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Super Specialty Hospital (SSH), SMGS Hospital, region’s premier maternity and paediatric hospital and dental Hospital.

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