Thiruvananthapuram: The State government’s initiative to make expensive cancer drugs and immunosuppressant drugs available at zero-profit price to consumers through Karunya pharmacies is being launched on Thursday.
The medicines will be distributed through special counters in selected Karunya pharmacy outlets. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the launch of zero-profit drugs online on Thursday. Health Minister Veena George will participate in the function to be held at the Karunya pharmacy at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital.
The State is making available 247 branded oncology drugs through special counters in 14 Karunya outlets in the first phase. The counter will be manned by newly appointed staff.
The State’s intervention to hold the drug price line will go a long way in reducing the out-of-pocket expenditure on health. Already, some 7,000-odd drugs are being sold at prices much less than the market price through the 74 Karunya outlets across the State.
It might be recalled that it was for the very purpose of providing drugs at lower costs that Karunya pharmacies were launched in 2012. At the time, some 107 cancer drugs were being given at much lower prices than the open market price through Karunya outlets. The Kerala Medical Services Corporation used to take a 7% margin then to cover its operational costs.
This time, the KMSC is attempting to sell cancer drugs at the prices at which it is procuring from the drug firm with zero profit margin.
While the scheme is being launched with much fanfare, many have expressed doubts about its sustainability, given the poor financials of the State. Also, unless the scheme is operated scrupulously clean and monitored closely, there are always possibilities for private pharma players to exploit the situation.
