Kolkata: The state govt is set to come up with around 375 fair price medicine shops for pet animals and birds in various districts under the Centre’s Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme.Some of the shops may be rolled out after Puja, said govt officials. Apart from pet parents, this initiative aims at benefitting poultry and livestock farmers across the state.These medicine shops called Pashu Aushadhi Vikray Kendras (PAVKs) will be run by the Directorate of Animal Resources and Animal Health. “This is a central govt scheme that is being implemented in Bengal. These medicine shops will be modelled on ‘Jan Aushadi kendras’ where people get medicines at cheaper prices. We may increase the number of these shops in the future,” said a senior official of the directorate.As per the initial plan, the main unit of PAVK will come up in Kolkata while 30 others will be set up in districts. The remaining 344 will be set up at block level. The ARD officials pointed out that the PAVKs would also restrict the nexus, often found between some pet clinics and pharmaceutical companies manufacturing veterinary medicines. “It has come to light that some veterinary practitioners, dictated by the clinics where they work, prescribe expensive medicines of particular brands. Once the PAVKs start functioning, this malpractice is likely to reduce,” said an official.“These fair price veterinary medicine shops can help many pet parents like me as we have to buy medicine and vaccine from private clinics at high prices. If general veterinary medicines are available at these shops for lower prices, this will cut down on our expense,” said Ayona Dutta, a pet parent.Aarushi Bhattacharya, a caregiver for strays, said, “For treating the strays that we rescue and adopt , we have to bear the expense of their treatment from our own pockets. The fair price veterinary medicine shops will give us some respite.”An assistant professor of Belgachhia Veterinary University said, “The composition of the medicines will remain the same like branded ones but pet parents will get them at affordable prices. Now the veterinary healthcare in Bengal has improved a lot and the PAVKs will further add to the growth. This will also help those like poultry farmers in remote areas. This move is likely to check animal diseases and deaths.”
