BJP leaders protesting in Kalaburagi on Friday condemning government move to close Jan Aushadhi Kendras in government hospital premises.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI

Condemning the State government’s decision to close the Jan Aushadhi Kendras functioning within the district hospitals across Karnataka, the Kalaburagi district unit of BJP staged a protest in front of the District General Hospital here on Friday.

The BJP leaders including Chincholi MLA Avinash Jadhav, B.G Patil and Shashil G. Namoshi, MLCs, party’s district (rural unit) president Ashok Bagli, party’s (urban unit) president Chandrakant Patil, and party workers tied black ribbon on their arms and staged a silent protest near the main gate of the government hospital.

The Jan Aushadhi Scheme, launched by the Central government, aims to provide quality medicines at affordable prices; the State government’s move to closure of these medicine centres is being seen as potentially beneficial to private pharmaceutical companies. The agitators also displayed placards accusing the State government for closing down Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which are indeed a boon for poor patients.

Mr. Namoshi alleged that government hospitals struggle with ensuring the availability of free medicines, forcing the patients to purchase them out-of-pocket. In such conditions, closure of these centres –offering affordable medicines at low cost, would affect the poor classes who depend on the scheme for low-cost healthcare facilities. He also questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, about what forced the ruling government to take such a decision against Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

They also urged Siddaramaiah-led government to reconsider and withdraw the order in the interest of the common public.