Price of medicine shot up by up to 140 percent in two weeks. Prices of all kinds of medicine including antibiotics tablet, insulin and injections for diabetic patients were hiked by the drug companies, according to media reports.
When the general people are bearing the brunt of price hike alongside reeling from unprecedented economic crises, the skyrocketing price hike in medicines is not acceptable at all. The unprecedented drug price hike is hitting the poor cluster of the society and middle income families hard as well.
The increase in prices of medicine has already directly affected the poor patients, making their lives miserable. However, the drug companies held the devaluation of local currency against dollar and the increase in the price of raw materials in the international market responsible.
The High Court (HC) on Monday directed the authorities concerned to take effective measures to stop the price hike of medicine by drug companies of their own accord. The HC also directed the government to prevent the pharmaceutical companies from importing raw materials for drug production from abroad and sale of foreign medicine by the drug companies without the approval of the health ministry.
Unprecedented drug
price hike is hitting the
poor cluster of the society
Though the government has authority to fix the prices of medicines through a gazette notification it has not issued any such gazette notification since 2000. Bangladesh has high prevalence of non-communicable, communicable and viral disease such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes and hypertension.
As millions of people suffer from these common health issues, it is very difficult for them to purchase medicines because of high price. Many people are now avoiding medical procedures and tests due to expensive medication.
The government should strictly monitor the medicine market to control prices of essential drugs at first. If medicine shop owners extract additional price, they should be brought to book and put on trial.
Considering the overall situation, the government hospitals and community clinics can play key role in providing primary healthcare services some medicines free of cost to the rural people. If the government procures drugs, it will ensure quality as well as a competitive price.
Simultaneously, the affluent of the society and businessmen should extend their all out support to the poor patients to get essential medicines. The physicians must refrain from prescribing unnecessary drugs allegedly for commission and they should give patient hearing to the people who suffer from various diseases in this regard. As per the HC order the government must take immediate steps to lower the prices of life-saving drugs to ease rising burden of living cost on general people.
