Daya sagar
It was and will be really surprising to note from the website https://www.1mg.com/search/all?name=Farobact that FAROBACT 200mg , a allopathic drug is sold by CIPLA in six tab strip and 10 tab strip but in both the case the MRP marked is Rs.332.50 per strip. Per Tablet price of same drug of same company in one packing is Rs. 33.25 and in other packing is Rs.55.42. Two retailers were contacted in Jammu and both were found selling only 6 Tab strips could not explain the difference.
Even in 2016 one would rarely find people in government talking of carrying forward some public interests schemes like Jan Aushadi Store 2008. Not only that the allopathic medicines that were included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NELM) could be in many cases seen marked with unfair MRP but still being sold comfortably under a brand name with the support of prescriptions ‘dispensed’ by some ‘motivated’ doctors. The patients even if are advised by some truthful dispensers to accept medicines with other brand name and at much lower a price do not accept the same considering that may be the alternative suggested by others has poor quality and efficacy. Whenever someone discusses such subjects , even some government doctors profess that generic medicines identified as essential drugs are of poor quality where as facts are otherwise. Whereas such opinions are totally unfounded.
Government too has not taken any effective steps to undo such false propaganda. Had atleast the Government doctors even on their own gone for writing prescriptions by chemical /generic name (atleast for medicines in NELM ), they would have helped in putting some brakes on the bad practices in the commercialized private sector. But it has not been so and it is also due to this reason that the Jan Aushadi Store programme 2008 has been almost a nonstarter even after 8 years. It will not be an over statement to opine that it has also been so more under the pressures of the practicing doctors, manufacturers and sellers.
It is so disappointing that in an era of professed professionalism where high cost investigations/ clinical test are being prescribed as routine by doctors under the plea that proper diagnosis is the first need , the drug control department of government , the medicine procurement departments and like do not have Pharmacologist appointed in key positions. One would ask why ? No reply would come. Will the Mehbooba Mufti Government see that as a first step towards streamlining drug procurement, effective use of drugs and for proper drug rationalisation the services of the qualified Pharmacologist would be put in place. There is utmost need for starting a practice of prescription audit so that unnecessary drugs are not prescribed and also the doctors share the opinion for prescribing drugs after the disease has been diagnosed .Presently in J&K there is no specific prescription audit cell or unit even in Medical colleges. Rather this should also be made part of drug policy.
Since some Government Doctors ( in J&K also ) have taken to near total commercial enterprising under the cover of permission given by government for private practice ( in relaxation of conduct rules for the public servants) fair programmes and considerations are being discouraged.
These days even some common use drugs are sold at exorbitant profit margins because some doctors prescribe on brand, particularly at the instance of the manufacturer or at the instance of a particular retailer. The innocent customer does not go for the alternative genuinely priced medicines at much lower price even if suggested by some other doctor or even the dispenser. Prescription audit if enforced in government hospitals will surely check such unfair over prescriptions as well as inclusion of unfairly marked drugs. The medical profession is considered a very pious profession and elders suggest that a doctor was considered next to God for the humanity. Had at least the government doctors put pressures on the government for promoting the Jan Aushadi Store like Programme started by GOI in 2008 they would have done a real service to humanity.
There has been no any effective campaign sponsored/ launched by government to undo the propaganda that generic medicines bearing same composition as that of a brand name medicine are of low quality. M/s CIPLA / its associate marketed the same drug as Amlip- 5 ( MRP Rs 27.70 per strip of 10 tablets Dec 2010 ) and Amlopress -5 ( MRP Rs 44.80 per strip of 15 tablet) but the prices at which Amlip -5 was supplied to retailers was not even one fourth of the price at which Amlopress-5 was supplied to dealers, still the dealers bought and sold same drugs under different names from same principal source. The prices and policies prevailing in 2016 for such like dual brand names may not principally different than what they were in 2010. Had there been a system of Prescription Audit in place such practices would have been put to question. Why no authority had questioned such practices ? . Will the present PDP- BJP Government look into this ?
( Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and a social activist [email protected])
