A Community Based Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study on Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK)

Abstract

Background and objective: Rising healthcare costs continue to be a global concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like India, where a significant portion of the population faces financial hardship due to high medicine expenses. The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) was introduced to improve access to affordable generic medicines through government-run Jan Aushadhi Kendras. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the community regarding the Jan Aushadhi Scheme and generic medicines in Mangalore. Methodology: A cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted among 318 community participants between 08/06/2025 and 07/07/2025. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire developed from literature review and translated into English and Kannada. The survey included socio-demographic data and questions categorized into three domains: knowledge, attitude and practice. Descriptive analysis was performed and the results were presented in percentages and tables. Results: Among 318 participants, only 38% were aware of the Jan Aushadhi Scheme and 33% knew about Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Awareness of generic medicines was reported by 35%, while just 30?lieved generics are cheaper than branded medicines. Only 25?lieved generics were as effective as branded medicines. Attitude was moderately favorable: 34.6% perceived generics to be safe, 37.7% supported training programs for healthcare providers and 40.9% wanted more media coverage. In practice, only 35.8% had visited a Jan Aushadhi Kendra and just 31.1% had purchased generic medicines. Only 23% asked pharmacists and 7.9% requested doctors for generics. Conclusion: The study revealed low levels of awareness and engagement with the Jan Aushadhi Scheme. Misconceptions about safety and efficacy persist, contributing to poor attitudes and limited practices. There is a need for community-based awareness campaigns, training for healthcare providers and policy-level interventions to promote trust and usage of generic medicines in India.

Keywords

Introduction

Fig 1: Demographic Details

Fig 2: Age Group

Table 2: Knowledge of Patients About Jan Aushadhi Kendras and Generic Medicines

Out of the 318 participants, only 38% (121)  aware about PMBJP (Jan?Aushadhi Scheme), while 62% (197) did not. Awareness dropped slightly for the  Jan?Aushadhi Kendras, with just 33% (105) saying yes and 67% (213) responding no.  Awareness of generic medicines was even lower only 35% (110) had heard of them, while 65% (208) had not heard about generic medicines. Regarding price perception, only 30% (96) believed generic drugs are cheaper than branded one s, while 56% (177) disagreed and 14% (45) were not sure.About  65% (208) not knew the difference between branded and generic medicines, only 35% of participants (110 out of 318) knew the difference. Most of the participants 52% (165) were unaware about government regulations governing generic and branded drugs followed 24% (77) were not sure, Only 24% (76) said they were aware. Only few of them 25% (80) believed generics are as effective as branded medicines, compared to 75% (238) who did not knew it.  This highlights that there is a significant lack of knowledge, most participants are unaware, unsure about Jan Aushadhi Kendra Scheme.

Fig 3: Knowledge of patients about Jan Aushadhi Kendras and generic medicines

Table 3: Attitude of patients about Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Fig 4: Attitude of patients about Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Table 4: Perception of patients about Jan Aushadhi Kendras

Fig 5: Perception of patients about Jan Aushadhi Kendras

DISCUSSION:

Knowledge

The present study highlights a significant gap in public knowledge regarding the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) and generic medicines. Only 38% of participants were aware of the PMBJP and even fewer (33%) knew about the Jan Aushadhi Kendras. These results are comparable to the findings by Leonora et al., who reported that only 33.1% of patients understood that generic drugs were compositionally similar to branded drugs [11]. In our study, awareness of generic medicines found to be 35%, which is near to the results of Nabil et al., who noted that 71.7% of their participants had never heard of generics and 32% even perceived them as harmful [12]. In terms of understanding drug pricing and efficacy, only 30% of our participants believed that generics are cheaper than branded drugs, while the majority either disagreed or were unsure. This is similar to the findings of Claudio et al., who identified a noticeable gap in public understanding regarding the pricing and quality of generic medicines [13]. Furthermore, knowledge about drug regulation was also poor in our study, with only 24% aware of the governing rules. This gap is consistent with the study by Himmel et al., where older, less educated and chronically ill patients often perceived generics as inferior due to their lower cost [14].

Attitude

The attitude of the public toward generic medicines and the Jan Aushadhi Scheme was unsatisfied. Only 25% believed that generics are as effective as branded drugs and just 34.6% considered them to be safe. Furthermore, only 33% felt that medicines from Jan Aushadhi Kendras were equally effective. These attitudes are shaped by poor knowledge and mistrust, similar to the national survey by William et al., where only 37.6% agreed to use generics and 53.7% reported that their prescribers did not discuss drug types with them [15]. Although a small proportion (37.7%) supported the idea of training programs for healthcare providers, and 40.9% showed interest in learning more through media platforms, the overall attitude remained unfavorable. This supports earlier findings by Manisha et al., who found that 10% of patients considered generic drugs to be harmful [16]. In contrast, a more favorable outlook was observed in the study by Kishor, et al., where 60.86% of patients knew that generic drugs were equally effective as branded ones [17]. This disparity may be due to differences in education levels and socioeconomic backgrounds of the study populations.

Practice

Practice patterns in this study revealed limited real-world engagement with the Jan Aushadhi Scheme and generic medicines. Only 35.8% had visited a Jan Aushadhi Kendra and just 31.1% had ever bought a generic drug. Active involvement, such as asking a pharmacist (23%) or requesting a doctor (7.9%) for generics, was very low. These figures illustrate a disconnect between awareness and action and align with the current literature that highlights low public engagement with generic substitution even when awareness exists [12,14]. The limited practice may be due to a lack of trust, insufficient education, or poor communication from healthcare providers, as seen in similar studies globally. Moreover, the resistance to stricter laws (only 29.9% in favour) for promoting generics shows Uncertainty toward regulatory enforcement, echoing findings by William et al., where a majority felt prescribers did not adequately communicate about generics [15].

CONCLUSION:

The study reflected that awareness about the Jan Aushadhi scheme and generic medicines is generally low among participants. Many respondents lacked knowledge of key information such as government regulations, cost-effectiveness and therapeutic equivalence of generics. Attitudes toward safety and effectiveness were also not optimal, with limited support for policy implementation and training initiatives. In practice, most participants had minimal interest with Jan Aushadhi Kendras or generic medicine usage. Very few actively requested generics from healthcare professionals. Overall, the outcome suggests the need for targeted awareness campaigns and educational interventions to improve understanding and acceptance of generic medicines among the community.

Future prospectives:

• Enhance awareness through community-based campaigns(Hospital etc.) and digital media(Advertisement in TVs, radio, social medias etc.)
• Promote education about generic medicines in health programs and school/college.
• Train healthcare providers (doctors/pharmacists) to recommend generic medicines.
• Strengthen public trust by ensuring consistent quality and availability at Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
• Conduct future research to explore barriers from both consumer and provider perspectives.
• Evaluate long-term impact of PMBJP on healthcare affordability and access.
• Establish feedback systems for continuous improvement of Jan Aushadhi services.

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