The country’s medical sector is crying for reforms. Essential drugs are expensive and the multinational drug manufacturers especially have a virtually free hand in determining pricing. Needy patients suffer
The Additional Solicitor General of India had wrongly pleaded in the Supreme Court that the Drug (Prices Control) Order ceiling is correct, allegedly because of difference in retail and bulk prices of medicines. But the truth is different, since drug manufacturers are at liberty to have enormously high margins in many medicines because of the goodwill their brands have in the market Recently, the Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill, 2013, was referred to a parliamentary panel.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority should look into the issue of pricing drugs because, in this country, even the same salt is marketed by different companies under varying price tags. The antibiotic, Ofloxacin, has a maximum retail price (for 10 tablets) of Rs 314.92 for Tarivid-200 (Aventis), Rs 88 for Oflox-200 (Cipla) and Rs 55.50 Oflin-200 (Cadila). There are numerous such medicines where drug manufacturers are cashing in on their name and earning huge profits. What’s more, the same medicines are available even at lower prices when they are packed in bulk.
Drug companies apparently persuade medical institutions to recommend their products and branded medicines. Since retailers are competing by giving a publicised discount of 10 per cent to 11 per cent, it is time to reduce trade margins on medicines.
Many drug manufacturers pack commonly used cough lozenges in strips of eight instead of the normal 10, because consumers judge the price per strip rather than a lozenge. Only recently, medicines like Telma-40 and Glyzid-M have begun to be marketed in strips of 15 tablets instead of the earlier 10. The idea behind such a move is to ‘over-sell’ medicines because chemists usually retail medicines in full strips only, and unused tablets/capsules in part-strip are a total waste for consumers. The Union Government should ensure that imported medicines like Janumet, which are available in strips of, say, 14 tablets, are specially packed for the Indian market in strips of 10 tablets each. Also, the Planning Commission’s recommendation to shift the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority from the Union Ministry of Chemicals to the Union Ministry of Health should be accepted.
Many a time, the name of the medicine is printed only once on a complete strip of tablets/capsules, thereby causing great confusion when the medicines under the printed name are consumed. It is difficult to recognise medicines in portions of the strip having no name. Authorities should make it compulsory to print the name of the medicine on the complete strip over every tablet/capsule. Moreover, it should also be compulsory to emboss the name of the medicine individually on each tablet/capsule.
The Union Government recently first banned and then lifted the ban on certain medicines. The ban came because medical research had said these medicines were harmful and could lead to dangerous diseases like cancer. The Union and the State Governments should make people aware about such banned medicines because, normally, patients go on taking their course of medicines till they are struck by a new complication. They are unaware that the medicines they continue to have are banned.
It is unfortunate that, while the Government spends tax-payers’ money on expensive multi-page advertisements for their publicity on flimsy issues, aspects needing media attention in the larger public-interest are grossly ignored. For instance, it is a matter of concern how and why the ban on a particular drug was lifted when most other countries of the world have shut out such medicines. Is there a lobby of drug-manufacturers which is influencing the Government’s decisions on not banning harmful medicinesIJ
It should be made mandatory for new-age medical practitioners to issue prescriptions through computer printouts after storing the patients’ medical history in computers.
In the otherwise terrible Emergency-era of 1975-1977, unhealthy medical practices were effectively checked by making it mandatory for all medical practitioners to maintain records of each patient visiting them and also binding every medical practitioner to give a copy of the prescription of the administered or prescribed medicines. Such medical discipline should be restored in the larger public interest. The system will enable practitioners to send medical alerts on banned medicines to their regular patients.
Many patients have been visiting India for medical treatment and post-operative care, which they get in five-starred luxury hospitals at relatively cheap prices (when compared to cost of treatment in the West or in their respective countries). Private hospitals exclusively set up for the purpose are minting money from what has come to be known as ‘medical tourism’. The Government must impose a cess on foreigners availing medical and post-operative care facilities in India. The money thus collected can be utilised to supply the needy and poor patients of the country with cheap and essential medicines.
(The writer is a well-known RTI activist)