Medicines worth around 32 crore have been supplied to Kashmir valley from July 20 to August 23, 2019.

The medicines include a wide range of drugs from all categories including antibiotics, anti-diabetic, proton pump inhibitors, anti-hypertensives, antacids, NSAIDs, anticancer drugs, cardiovascular drugs, anti-tuberculars, anti-depressants, psychotropics among other life saving drugs.

This was informed by Deputy Drugs Controller, Food and Drugs Administration, Jammu, after teams of Drug Control officers were deputed to depots, C&Fs and consignees of major pharmaceutical companies to collect the relevant data regarding supplies of medicines and pharmaceutical drug formulations made to pharma dealers and distributors across the Kashmir valley in the last one month.

The Dy Drugs Controller informed that special efforts are being made to ensure and facilitate timely supply of medicines which require specialised storage conditions to authorised stockists and stake holders in the Kashmir valley.

It is notable that a number of stockists and distributors based in Kashmir procure different categories of medicines as per their needs and requirements directly from manufacturers, super-stockists and distributors based outside J&K. The figure given above excludes that.

Moreover, the field functionaries of Drugs Control Organisation Kashmir and the Project Coordinator, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadi Yojana, have informed that all outlets of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi are fully operational at different locations in Srinagar and have sufficient stocks of all categories of drugs.

In addition to this, there are around 40 outlets operational under the PMJAY scheme in the Kashmir division catering to those in need.

The Department has said that it is in constant touch with heads of all health institutions of the valley to assess their availability and requirement of medicines. It said any instances of unavailability of medicines are dealt with on priority.