Access To Free Medicine: Complexities And Prospects
The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan along with Prayas, a Social Welfare Society, held a conference on Universal Access to Free Medicine and Free Diagnostics: Complexities and Prospects. The speakers of the evening were Dr. Ekbal Bappukunju, former Vice-chancellor of Kerala University and a public health activist, and Dr. Thelma Narayan, Epidemiologist and health policy analyst.
Dr. Themla Narayan made some pertinent points
Dr. Ekbal Bappukunju was the initial speaker. He talked about the various nuances of having a policy that enables access of free medicine to the masses and the states which have successfully done the same. At the start he said, “We have to focus on state wise manufacturing units. Unfortunately, nobody mentions about the state manufacturing units at all. In fact, I am really surprised.” He said that Kerala started the Kerala Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited in 1977. The Kerala Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited also went through a lots delays but eventually it got established and after that it has produced about 400 million worth of drugs. He also talked about the Pai Committee which prepared a report on Health services under the leadership of Dr. K. N. Pai. The report said that Kerala Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited should be converted into an entity which produces all essential drugs for all the government hospitals, but that has not been realised. Rajasthan government has also followed the suit. It overtook the Rajasthan Pharmaceutical Drugs Limited to assess the generic drug project of the government and it has produced 800 millions units of drugs.
The staging area
He further added that the 600 molecules that have been identified as majority have been out of patent and therefore there is still hope for manufacturing them. He said, “We cannot rely on National Public Sector units because they are being neglected. I think state governments should start manufacturing these drugs.”
He then talked about Diagnostics. He said, “More and more technologies are coming in diagnostic. I think percentage wise the amount spent for diagnostics is going to overstep the money spent for drugs.” Earlier, there was more stress on drugs but now more and more tests like multiple C. T. Scan, MRI scan, and Digital Subtraction Angiography etcetera are coming in. Therefore diagnostics are the main avenue to expand. There is hardly any company that produces tools for diagnostics. But India can, if there is a will.
Dr. B. Ekbal covered a wide range of issues
He then talked about the possibilities that offer itself to Indian companies. He gave the example of space technology. He said that Space Technology has several civilian applications. Its principle aspect is Defence but it develops new material that has applications for civilians. Many of the new orthopaedics appliances are made of those new materials. So India has the technology it’s just a matter of will power.
Dr. Themla Narayan succeeded the mic after Dr.Ekbal. At the outset she said, “I think, sometimes we are too readily pleased with ourselves.The challenges, particularly in this field where there is a lot of technology, are great. I don’t think our work in the private sector actually has been sufficiently effective. A privatisation authority which actually plays a role in documenting the things happening and using that for policy engagement is the way forward.”
