MP Brijesh Chowta slams Karnataka govt over closure of Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, May 24, 2025: Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta on Thursday criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government’s move to shut down Jan Aushadhi Kendras functioning within government hospital premises across the state.

In a statement, Chowta said the state government’s decision is anti-poor and undermines the efforts made to make medicines affordable.

"These centres, established under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Janaushadhi scheme, have been offering quality generic medicines at 70-90 per cent lower prices. Their closure will directly impact the poor and unemployed who rely on them," he stated.

Chowta accused the government of yielding to pressure from corporate pharmaceutical lobbies and private medical shops, questioning the need to close centres that provide vital public healthcare services.

He also alleged that the Siddaramaiah government was engaging in politically motivated decisions even in matters of public health.

The BJP MP demanded that the state government immediately withdraw the closure order, warning that the move would cast a shadow on the livelihoods of hundreds of families that are dependent on Jan Aushadhi operations.

On Wednesday, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao clarified that only the Jan Aushadhi Kendras functioning within the premises of the government hospitals have been suspended, as the state government provides free medicine. Those operating outside will continue, he added.