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Strong marketing strategy required for BPPI to make PMBJP a successful project for the country: Expert
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
January 12 , 2018
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When the Union health ministry is giving more and more approvals for
opening as many Jan Aushadhi Medical Stores as possible, the
implementing agency has to consider various options to take the scheme
forward and make it healthier.
“Government wants to increase the
number of outlets, but it seems that it does not want to raise the
quantum of medicines required for the people. Lack of proper marketing
strategy retracts the entire project. The scheme needs a marketing
mechanism for its success,” according to a marketing expert, who also
served in the drugs control administration in Tamil Nadu.
Quoting
reports that the central health ministry has given approval to open
36,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras
across the country, the expert said BPPI must first establish a concrete
basis for developing the project which entails an efficient procurement
system, a smooth supply chain management and a strong marketing
mechanism. Without complying with these three factors BPPI cannot
develop the scheme in a vast country like India.
He said BPPI
claims that they have 700 varieties of drugs for supplying to various
outlets of Jan Aushadhi Kendras. But less than 250 formulations are
available to the public from any JAS store now. There is short supply of
about 500 categories of medicines always in the already opened outlets
of the PMBJP. Even those 250 medicines which are available in the market
through PMBJP Kendras are supplied partly, month by month. BPPI has to
streamline the supply chain first before shouldering more burdens.
While
interacting with Pharmabiz, the expert said the scheme of Jan Aushadhi
medical stores is a welcome initiative by the central government for the
people of the country, but it lacks proper management from top to the
bottom level. It has to be looked into for the success of the project.
When
asked if any suggestion from his side to make the scheme more
efficient, he said if it has to be succeeded for long, the implementing
agency should tie up with some state-run procurement agencies like Tamil
Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) which caters to the needs of
not only of Tamil Nadu but also of certain other states on contract
basis. Without having contract with procurement agencies, BPPI cannot
take the ambitious project forward.
Secondly, the scheme lacks a
proper planning. Many multinational companies (MNCs) have succeeded in
achieving large-scale market leadership because of their good business
planning. Similarly, BPPI must also appoint their C&Fs in each
state, set up go-downs and engage distributors wherever required. For
the time being, BPPI can utilize the facilities of Central Civil
Supplies go-downs in each zonal level and state civil supplies go-downs
in the state levels in agreement with respective governments.
“We
should learn the key marketing strategy from the multinationals. Their
business is progressing because of their planning. PMBJP can progress
well if BPPI can make all stocks available in the stores always.
Essential medicines, vaccines and medical devices should be in the stock
in all the outlets. It is a herculean task to streamline the supply to
the already existing three thousand retail outlets. BPPI’s new strategy
of ‘End-to-End supply’ system cannot be made a successful supply service
in the near future until infrastructure facilities are established,” he
told Pharmabiz.
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