The document summarizes the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) program launched by the Indian government. The key points are: 1) AMRIT aims to provide affordable cancer and cardiac drugs and implants through retail outlets located in major government hospitals across India. 2) It is implemented by HLL Lifecare Ltd which establishes and runs AMRIT pharmacies offering medicines at an average 63% discount on MRP prices. 3) In its first year, AMRIT benefited over 5 lakh patients and achieved sales of Rs. 18.51 crores with total savings of Rs. 29.68 crores for patients.

1. Dr. Gaurav Gupta
PG-HA 2017
SGPGIMS

2.  Initiative in health sector
 Background
 Introduction
 Objectives
 Operating Mechanism
 AMRIT Retail Outlets
 AMRIT Center
 Features
 Conclusion

3.  The Government has formulated the National Health
Policy, 2017, which aims at attainment of the highest
possible level of good health and well-being, through a
preventive and promotive health care orientation in all
developmental policies, and universal access to good
quality health care services without anyone having to face
financial hardship as a consequence

4.  Introduction of new vaccines
 Mission Indradhanush
 NHM Free Drug and Diagnostics Initiatives
 Setting up of New AIIMS Institutions
 Upgradation of district hospitals to medical college hospitals.
 PradhanMantri National Dialysis Services Programme
 The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
 Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS)
 India Newborn Action Plan
 Biomedical Equipment Management & Maintenance Program (BMMP)
 MAA- Mother's Absolute Affection Programme
 Kayakalp initiative
 Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT)

5.  Universal Screening of Non-Communicable Diseases- Government
of India launched Operational Guidelines on prevention,
screening and control of common Non-Communicable Diseases:
Hypertension, Diabetes and Common Cancer-Oral, Breast, Cervix
 National Quality Assurance Programme, under which, Quality
Standards for District Hospitals, Community Health Centres,
Primary Health Centres and Urban Primary Health Centres have
been formulated
 New Mental Health Policy 2014 envisions promoting mental
health, by providing accessible, affordable and quality health and
social care to all persons with mental illness

7.  Statistics indicate that Indians diagnosed with cancer are
700,000 every year. About 2.8 million people have cancer
at any point of time and half a million die of the disease
each year. The annual figure of women being diagnosed
with breast cancer in India is 145,000, according to the
World Health Organisation
 What’s more, cancer drug market is unregulated,
thus riddled with high prices as compared to their
product cost. Retailers charge dynamic rates based
on the patient’s income group, offering marginal
discounts. This results in most of the middle-class
patients ending up paying 70 to 80 per cent of the
MRP.

8.  A significant number of patients (nearly over 50 per cent)
stop visiting hospitals after two or three cycles of
chemotherapy due to unaffordable costs. Some breast-
cancer patients need targeted treatment drugs, which
cost around Rs.75,000 for a course; a patient could need
up to 17 courses. Similarly, a drug used to treat colon,
kidney, lung and gall bladder cancer can add around Rs.8
lakh to a patient’s bill—which is at around Rs.1 lakh a
cycle

9.  . Hence, with the aim to reduce the expenditure incurred
by patients on treatment of cancer and heart diseases,
the Ministry for Health & Family Welfare, has launched
the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for
Treatment (AMRIT) programme.

10.  The flagship programme of the Union Health ministry
- AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants
for Treatment) - to provide affordable life-saving
cancer, cardiac drugs and medical disposables was
launched by the Union Health Minister Shri J P
Nadda in November 2015 and is being implemented
through mini-ratna PSU HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) which
has been setting up pharmacies at major hospitals
across the country to dispense the medicines.

11.  HLL has already opened 16 AMRIT pharmacies in major
cities across the country, with nine more ready to go
operational soon and five additional ones under
construction out of a target of 284 outlets in the next two
years.
 Till January 2018 a total number of 111 AMRIT
Pharmacies have been established in country.

12.  The primary goal of AMRIT is to make available and
accessible, at very affordable rates, all drugs,
implants, surgical disposables that are not dispensed
free of cost by the hospitals
 The AMRIT pharmacies stock nearly 2,200 drugs,
surgical disposables and implants (including for
cardiovascular, Cancer and diabetes, stents etc.) that
are offered at an average discount of 63 percent on
medicines

13.  To open AMRIT outlets which would sell medicines and
equipment at affordable prices
 To open in all central government hospitals
 Its intended beneficiaries will be patients suffering from
cancer and heart diseases (non-communicable diseases).
 The project is implemented by government-owned HLL
Lifecare Ltd (HLL) which is deputed to establish and run
AMRIT chain of pharmacies across the country.
 These drugs and implants under the scheme will be sold
based upon authentic prescriptions from doctors.

14.  Government buys the medicine in bulk so to contain its
cost to a minimum and affordable amount
 Focus is on Generic Drug because they are less costly than
branded one but the quality is never compromised
 These drugs are the made available to AMRIT Retail
outlets.

15.  As part of the programme, retail outlets will sell drugs for
the cancer and heart diseases at highly discounted rates.
The AMRIT pharmacy sells 202 cancer and 186 cardio-
vascular drugs, and 148 types of cardiac implants at very
affordable prices. Patients can buy medicines and
implants at 50 to 60 percent cheaper prices than the
open market from AMRIT outlet
 The project has been floated in a tie-up with
government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) which is
deputed to establish and run the AMRIT chain of
pharmacies across the country

16.  AIIMS, New Delhi - The first AMRIT centre was launched at All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi on November 15,
2015.
 Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER),
Chandigarh
 Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi
 RML hospital, New Delhi
 Safdarjung hospital, Delhi
 Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research
in (JIPMER), Puducherry
 AIIMS, Rishikesh
 AIIMS, Raipur
 North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical
Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong
 Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal
 All India Institute Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur

17.  This is in addition to the 52 AMRIT Deen Dayal
pharmacies that were opened across the state
of Gujarat on Monday (14.11.2016)
 In the first year of operation, the AMRIT pharmacies
have benefited a total of 5.14 lakh patients. They
have achieved collective sales of 18.51 crores of
medicines worth Rs 48.19 crores in MRP, resulting in
total savings of Rs 29.68 crores.

18.  The AMRIT pharmacies stock nearly 2,200 drugs, surgical
disposables and implants (including for cardiovascular,
cancer and diabetes, stents etc.) that are offered at an
average discount of 63 percent on medicines.
 In the first year of operation, the AMRIT pharmacies have
benefited a total of 5.14 lakh patients. They have
achieved collective sales of 18.51 crores of medicines
worth Rs 48.19 crores in MRP, resulting in total savings of
Rs 29.68 crore

19.  These medicines reportedly also have a better quality
than the ones that are available at private medical stores
with printed price tags. HLL Lifecare Ltd. (HLL), owned
and run by the Government of India, is facilitating the
supply of these medicines, which will have authentic
prescriptions from doctors
 According to a report, AMRIT pharmacies will sell
‘Docetaxel 120mg’ used for chemotherapy cycle at Rs
888.75 (93 percent rebate) for one cycle, when the MRP
of the injection is Rs 13,440. In a similar way, Caboplatin
450 mg would be sold at Rs 1,316.25 while its MRP is at
Rs 2,561.57

20.  High discounts are available on both medicines and
surgical equipment: on medicines 60 to 70 percent and
on surgical equipment we are offering up to 90-percent
discount. Earlier, a patient had to pay around Rs 2.50 to
Rs 3 lakh but now they are paying just Rs one lakh for
the implants.

21. Bare metal stent
Then: Rs 1lakh
Now: Rs 12,060
Drug eluting stent
Then: Rs 2 lakh
Now: Rs 29,000
Cobalt chromium knee
replacement
Then: Rs 1 lakh
Now: Rs 54,000

Now: Rs 60,000-Rs 90,000

Titanium knee
replacement
Then: Rs 2.5lakhs
Now: Rs 76,000
Total hip replacement
Then:Rs 1.5 lakh
Now Rs 60,000

22. Cardiovascular and cancer in recent time have become
biggest killer of mankind while the government at
both center and state level is making effort to
provide quality health care to each class of society
but the rising cost of medicine appears to be achilies
heel of any intervention protocol .within this light
government initiative to provide medicine at a
cheaper cost will be a bull eyes hitting of the rising
burden.

23. THANK YOU