Despite government schemes offering generic medicines at 50 to 90 percent lower prices, a large section of patients in Jammu and Kashmir continue to purchase expensive branded drugs, largely due to poor public awareness and inadequate outreach by the Health Department.
Jan Aushadhi Kendras established under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana offer the same approved medicines at a fraction of retail prices, yet many residents say they have never been informed about cheaper alternatives. The burden falls hardest on poor families, the elderly and those with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cardiac ailments requiring lifelong medication.
Doctors say misconceptions that cheap medicines are inferior continue to dominate public thinking, while several patients allege that doctors frequently prescribe by brand name, leaving consumers dependent on costly retail options. Some citizens have also pointed to an informal nexus between pharmaceutical marketing networks and retail chemists who earn better margins on branded drugs.
Experts have called for mandatory generic prescriptions in government hospitals, expansion of Jan Aushadhi stores in rural areas, and aggressive public awareness campaigns through newspapers, social media and local television.
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