Guwahati, Aug. 20: Dispur has moved the Centre to set up at least 40 Amrit pharmacies in the state to provide medicines for life-threatening diseases at highly discounted price.

The Centre, which launched Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (Amrit) pharmacy project last year, is now planning to open 300 such outlets across the country with an aim to reduce the expenditure incurred by patients on treatment of cancer and heart diseases.

Over 195 drugs for treatment of cancer and 186 drugs for cardiovascular diseases are being sold to patients through Amrit with a discount of more than 90 per cent.

The project has been floated in a tie-up with the government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL), which is mandated to establish and run the Amrit chain of pharmacies across the country.

The Centre recently claimed that more than 1.77 lakh patients have benefited since the project was launched last year.

Sources said state health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already told his counterpart at the Centre, J.P. Nadda, about operating at least 40 Amrit pharmacies in Assam.

"A formal proposal in this regard will be sent soon," a source said.

With Assam witnessing an alarming rise in the number of cancer and heart patients, Amrit pharmacies will be a huge financial relief for patients, the source said.

Sarma had recently said at an official function of the health department in Guwahati that some pharmacies were charging exorbitant amount for drugs needed for life-threatening diseases.

He said such development would not go down well with the state government's policy of making healthcare affordable to poor and common people.

"It is expected that a few Amrit pharmacies will become operational within this year. The first such pharmacy will be set up at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital," the source said.