Need to use generic drugs for affordable health care

AAMIR KHAN the social activist has deposed before a Parliamentary Standing Committee, recommending doctors prescribe generic drugs, as opposed to branded ones. Many in the medical fraternity have questioned his credentials for speaking on the subject, which he took up in his extremely popular TV programme, “Satyameva Jayate”. As for the actor Khan’s role, he has done nothing wrong — in using his image to highlight an acknowledged malpractice being ignored since long as he has only done public service. It is now up to the stakeholders to do something about it.

The medicine market is indeed bad. Aamir’s detractors have cited the WHO to say 25-45 per cent generic drugs produced in India are spurious. There is a flipside to this — it means at least 60 per cent of the generic drugs, which are available at a fraction of the cost of branded ones, are up to the mark. That is what the entire medical system, including the government and private players, has to work on to provide cheap and reliable drugs to the poor. A mechanism has to be evolved to provide the genuine generic drugs (patent-free medicines sold under the salt name, rather than brand) with a stamp of quality that people may be able to identify. The move to set up Jan Aushadhi outlets by the government to sell verified generic drugs was the ideal solution. However, the outlets thus far are too few.
As things stand today, the entire pharmaceutical chain — from the producer, the doctor to the chemist — is fouled. And in a country where there are nearly 10 lakh shops selling drugs, there are hardly a thousand inspectors to check the quality. The Drug Controller-General of India says more than 3,000 are required. India is a major pharmaceutical exporter too, supplying medicines in bulk to UN programmes at some of the cheapest rates in the world. Just as foreign buyers visit the Indian factories to check the quality before placing orders, so can the government to start a labelling process. We have ketchup and air-conditioners stamped by government food or standards organisations, but not life-saving drugs!