Generic medicine and other things
Generic medicine and other things
Marius Widjajarta, a medical doctor and the chairman of the
Indonesian Health Consumers Empowerment Foundation (YPKKI), has
protested the government's decision to raise the price of generic
medicine. The protest is aimed at expressing his concern over the
issue, and obtaining the public's sympathy.
According to Marius, the price hike will increase the
mortality rate and harm those suffering from cancer and heart
disease, as well as those suffering from diarrhea and lung
diseases. As a doctor, he certainly knows that on the list of
generic medicine there is not a single medicine for cancer and
diarrhea. Concerning heart medicine, the newly revised prices are
still one-quarter to one-eleventh of the prices of similar
nongeneric medicines.
The increase in the price of generic medicine is difficult to
avoid because of the very small profit margin involved in
producing these medicines. This makes the medicines extremely
touchy about the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the
rupiah. This increase in the price of generic medicine takes
place at a time when the price of nongeneric medicine is also
increasing. But YPKKI has kept silent about this.
Meanwhile, the government has provided public health centers
for the poor, where they can get free medicine. And for those
suffering from tuberculosis, the government has a special program
where patients can get free medicine.
I think we all agree that nobody wants any sort of price
increase, like the electricity bill, telephone bill, fuel or
medicine. However, keeping prices down by giving subsidies that
do not hit the target will be opposed by taxpayers, including
employees and laborers who have to pay income taxes.
An effective, safe and cheap medicine, clioquinol, has been
banned by the government. This ban was particularly urged by the
Indonesian Consumers Foundation, because in Japan the medicine
was found to cause SMON (a kind of eye disease), which has never
been found in Indonesia. As a result of the ban, the mortality
rate in Indonesia of those suffering from diarrhea/dysentery
increased sharply because we now have to rely on the medicine
oralit, which is not a dysentery medicine. They say that to
replace clioquinol what is needed is an antibiotic, which is a
prescription medicine.
Accordingly, there must be a reform in our way of thinking to
orient it more to the interests of Indonesia, instead of simply
following without thought developed countries.
The Rp 105 billion subsidy for generic medicine had to be
collected from the taxes that we paid. Let us then ask ourselves,
how much income tax did we pay last year and how much will we pay
next year?
SUNARTO PRAWIROSUJANTO
Jakarta