Centre Launches 10 New AMRIT Pharmacies to Boost Access to Affordable Medicines

Centre Launches 10 New AMRIT Pharmacies to Boost Access to Affordable Medicines

The Union government on Saturday expanded its network of low-cost medicine outlets by launching 10 new AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) pharmacies across the country. The announcement came during an event in New Delhi marking a decade of the AMRIT programme.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said the initiative, launched in 2015, has grown into a nationwide network of more than 255 outlets operating in 24 states and four Union Territories. He called the programme’s journey “transformative,” noting its impact on making essential and life-saving medicines more affordable for millions.

The newly added centres will start functioning at:

• PGI Neuroscience Centre, Chandigarh
• GMCH Unit-II, Jammu
• State Cancer Institute, Jammu
• AIIMS Deogarh
• Dental Hospital, Srinagar
• SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram
• Mumbai Port Trust
• IIT Jodhpur
• AIIMS Gorakhpur
• AIIMS Kalyani (Unit 3)

Nadda said AMRIT and Jan Aushadhi outlets, first introduced in 2014 and 2015, were designed to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and equitable. These centres, he noted, offer a wide spectrum of essential medicines—from oncology and cardiology to orthopaedics and specialised medical devices—at heavily reduced prices.

Many AMRIT outlets offer discounts of up to 50% on branded drugs without compromising quality, the minister said. The network now supplies more than 6,500 medicines and healthcare products and has benefited over 6.85 crore patients nationwide.

According to government data, AMRIT pharmacies have dispensed medicines worth over ₹17,000 crore so far, saving patients an estimated ₹8,500 crore collectively.

The outlets are now present at all AIIMS campuses and several other premier medical institutions across India.

Nadda urged HLL Lifecare Limited—the public sector enterprise managing the programme—to accelerate expansion and double the number of AMRIT pharmacies to at least 500. He stressed that every government and private medical college, along with district hospitals, should host an outlet.

He also unveiled the upgraded Ecogreen 2.0 digital platform and released a customised My Stamp in collaboration with India Post during the event.