Jharkhand drug price monitoring reaches 97 per cent of central targets
State health officials have been directed to reach full compliance and strengthen enforcement against medicine shortages and overpricing.
Jharkhand’s drug price monitoring system has achieved 97 per cent of the targets set by the Union government, according to Urban Acres.
State health department additional chief secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh directed officials to improve the performance of the Jharkhand Pharmaceutical Price Monitoring and Resource Unit (PMRU) during a recent review.
The PMRU monitors medicine prices, checks the availability of essential drugs, and inspects medical stores and hospitals to ensure medicines are sold within price regulations. The unit can initiate inquiries and regulatory action if prices for non-scheduled medicines rise by more than 10 per cent.
Singh urged consumers to verify the maximum retail price of medicines through the Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management (IPDMS) 2.0 portal and the Pharma Sahi Daam mobile application. The application allows users to check drug composition, check prices, and report shortages or overpricing.
Activist Atul Gera said that while the government ensures medicines are sold at MRP rates, there is no mechanism to control the gap between wholesale and retail prices. Gera claimed high retail prices prevent some patients from buying vital medicines and called for more Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the state.
The health department's immediate target is to move the PMRU’s performance from 97 per cent to 100 per cent by strengthening inspections and consumer awareness.