JP Nadda virtually inaugurates 10 new AMRIT Centres, releases postal stamps as scheme marks 10 years | India News

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday virtually inaugurated 10 new AMRIT centres across major medical institutions in the country and released a commemorative postal stamp to mark a decade of Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) programme — an initiative aimed at improving access to quality medicines and implants at affordable prices.The new centres are located at PGI Neurosciences Centre (Chandigarh), GMCH Unit II (Jammu), State Cancer Institute (Jammu), AIIMS Deoghar (Jharkhand), Dental Hospital (Srinagar, Kashmir), SCTIMST (Trivandrum, Kerala), Mumbai Port Trust Hospital (Maharashtra), IIT Jodhpur (Rajasthan), AIIMS Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), and AIIMS Kalyani Unit 3 (West Bengal).The virtual inauguration and stamp release took place during the “AMRIT Ki 10 Varsh” celebrations, attended by Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, Dr Anita Thampi, CMD, HLL Lifecare Ltd., and senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.Nadda said AMRIT, launched in 2015, has played a key role in making essential and life-saving medicines more affordable, particularly for patients requiring treatment in oncology, cardiology, orthopaedics, and endocrinology.Implemented through HLL Lifecare Ltd., a public sector enterprise, AMRIT stores are typically located within major government hospitals and medical colleges. They provide branded and generic medicines, surgical implants, and medical consumables at discounts of up to 50–90% compared to market prices.The scheme focuses on drugs used in the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, orthopaedic disorders, and other chronic conditions. Over the years, it has become an important component of India’s universal health coverage strategy, complementing initiatives such as Jan Aushadhi.So far, 255 AMRIT outlets have dispensed medicines worth over Rs 17,000 crore, leading to estimated savings of Rs 8,500 crore for patients, according to the Health Ministry.“AMRIT has become a credible model for affordable healthcare and an example of how public sector initiatives can deliver both quality and value,” Nadda said. He urged HLL Lifecare to expand the network to at least 500 outlets and ensure that every medical college and district hospital has an AMRIT pharmacy.The minister also lauded HLL’s EcoGreen digital platform, designed to improve supply-chain transparency and operational efficiency, and encouraged the organisation to develop a ‘Health Vision Plan 2030’ to further diversify its role in the healthcare sector.Nadda said AMRIT complements government affordability programmes such as Jan Aushadhi, both contributing to the goal of universal health coverage.Over the past decade, AMRIT has become a key part of India’s affordable healthcare ecosystem, ensuring access to essential medicines and reducing out-of-pocket expenditure for millions of patients.