evidence: In a bid to reduce the cost of treating the two health issues, cancer and heart diseases, that are on the rise in India, the Union health ministry has launched the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Retail Pharmacy scheme.Union health and family welfare minister J.P. Nadda launched the first AMRIT Retail Pharmacy at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi to sell drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at highly discounted rates. Government of India owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) will establish and run AMRIT pharmacy, which will sell both drugs and implants at significant discount on market rates, based on authentic prescriptions from doctors. "To begin with, HLL will dispense 195 oncology drugs, 186 cardiovascular drugs and 148 cardiac implants through AMRIT pharmacy," HLL chairman and managing director Dr. M. Ayyappan said. "Initially, the pharmacy will retail cancer drugs. By this month-end, it will commence the dispensing of cardiovascular drugs and implants in line with the cancer drugs."Based on the outcome of the AIIMS outlet, this initiative will be taken to other central government hospitals and regional cancer centres, he added.Some of the prices of the AMRIT Pharmacy drugs are strikingly low.