Kerala model of healthcare in peril, says Ekbal

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Kerala model of healthcare in peril, says Ekbal

Special Correspondent

Prescribe only necessary essential drugs' The poor may find it difficult to meet

the medical expenses.'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The former Kerala University vice-chancellor, B. Ekbal, has said that the " good

health at low cost " Kerala model of healthcare based on social justice and

equity is in danger of being dismantled following the switchover from process

patency to product patency regime.

Speaking on `Indian Patent Laws Changes and the Medical Profession' at the 13th

State annual conference of the Qualified Private Medical Practitioners'

Assocation (QPMPA) here on Saturday, Dr. Ekbal said the poor and the middle

class were going to find it extremely difficult to meet the healthcare expenses

in the very near future on account of the changes in the patency regime. Under

the product patency regime in existence in the country since 1970, Indian

companies could make cheap drugs through different processes for the drugs

patented in other countries.

However, hereafter, this would not be possible and all new drugs patented would

be priced very high. Since majority of the people in Kerala utilised modern

medicines, the high drug prices would hit Keralites more than the people in

other States, he said.

Role of doctors

Dr. Ekbal, who is also the national convener of the People's Health Movement,

said the medical profession has a major role to play in the changed context. The

medical practitioners can, for instance, help the people a lot by prescribing

only the necessary essential drugs and avoiding non-essential drugs. For this,

the doctors should first become drug price conscious. They should also select

good quality cheap drugs that are available in the market instead of costly

drugs marketed by big multinational companies. At present, the same class of

drugs are marketed by different companies at different prices. For example, in

the case of Atenolol, a drug commonly used for management of heart diseases, the

lowest priced good quality drug marketed by an Indian company, is priced at 40

paise a tablet whereas the price of the widely prescribed brand of a

multinational company is Rs. 2.30 a tablet.

Similarly, in the case of Cetrizine, a drug for the management of allergic

conditions, the prices at the low end and the high end were 30 paise and Rs.

3.15 a tablet. Besides being price conscious, doctors

should avoid prescri bing drugs of dubious therapeutic benefits, irrational

combination drugs and drugs banned in other countries, he said. Drug companies

are spending about 40 per cent of their sales turnover for drug promotion,

mostly targeting doctors.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/04/24/stories/2005042407670400.htm