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