Dawaa Dost
Making medications more accessible and affordable
CURRENT IMPACT
As of August 2023
70,000+
individuals received affordable generic medicines, saving INR 2+ Cr for households
900+
Dawa Didis (women micro-entrepreneurs) engaged
Geographical Focus
- Rajasthan
Potential Impact
- Reach
3+ million
people in Rajasthan - INR
15+ Cr
savings by selling generic affordable medicines
Mr. Amit Choudhary Founder of Dawaa Dost
We are immensely grateful to SAMRIDH for their funding support, which has enabled us to execute the Dawaa Didi program in rural India. In just the first month of the program, we have already impacted over 20,000 people, and we are looking forward to making an even greater impact in the future. One Village, One District, One State at a time.
Samridh support
SAMRIDH is supporting Dawaa Dost with a fund of INR 75,00,000/- (USD 93,750) to open 10 new physical stores, engage 1000+ women microentrepreneurs as Dawaa Didis in their SHG networks, and improve medicine access for the underserved by providing affordable generic medicines. It aims to expand its reach in Rajasthan to serve 3+ million people.
69%
Of household out-of-pocket health expenses are spent on medications in India.
Lack of access to affordable and quality medicines increases the prevalence and complications of diseases.
Despite being the “Pharmacy capital of the world”, a huge portion of Indians lack access to necessary medications due to financial and logistical limitations such as the high cost of medicines, shortage of stock, and lack of access. In rural areas, expensive medicines lead to non-adherence, causing health complications and drug resistance.
Omnichannel generic pharmacy retail chain and a community women micro-entrepreneurs network
Dawaa Dost is an omnichannel pharmacy retail chain specializing in branded generic medicines. It addresses the challenges of limited access to high-quality and affordable medicines, as well as the issue of non-adherence to prescribed medication regimens. The enterprise achieves this by providing genuine and affordable medicines in rural areas and tier 2 and 3 cities through its physical stores (Dawaa Dost stores) and a network of community-based women entrepreneurs (Dawaa Didis). Their comprehensive solution ensures the delivery of affordable generic medicines to people. Dawaa Dost also has an e-learning platform named ‘Medwiki,’ which employs voice support in regional languages to raise awareness about affordable generic medicines, proper dosages, and usage instructions and sends these messages through a telephonic reminder service called ‘Karma Dost’ to enhance treatment adherence.
Dawaa Didis are empowered to order medicines in the villages, significantly improving medicine accessibility in rural India. The model operates on a mutually beneficial basis, with SHGs engaged in income-generating activities, while patients benefit from affordable medicines, which are conveniently delivered to their doorsteps or villages.
Key Stakeholders
