According
to World Medicines Situation Report published by World Health Organization, an
estimated 2.1 billion people worldwide, that comprises one third of global
population, do not have access to medicines.
As per this report, within India, an estimated 499-649 million people comprising
50% to 65% of the population, do not have regular access to essential medicines
in spite of the fact that the Indian pharmaceutical industry currently ranks
third in terms of volume of pharmaceutical production (10% of global share) and
is the 14th largest by value (1.5%) worldwide. Its annual turnover has grown
from a mere $0.3 billion in 1980 to about $21.73 billion in 2009-10. India is a world leader in the manufacture
and sale of generic medicines to the extent that it is often referred as “the
pharmacy of developing world”. However, surprisingly, in spite of such
phenomenal growth, India’s own people continue to suffer for want of medicines.
There is a clear dichotomy in the progress made by pharmaceutical industry and
in securing access of quality medicines to people across the board.
Further as per WHO estimates, worldwide half of
all the medicines (50-60%) are inappropriately prescribed, dispensed or sold
and the situation seems even worse within India. Apart from grim access to
quality medicines, Indian pharmaceutical market is also dogged by many issues
relating to inappropriate use of medicines like spurious and substandard drugs,
sale of prescription drugs over the counter, unethical marketing and
prescribing of drugs etc. Within the state of Jammu and Kashmir, an estimated
24.21 lakh people (21.63% population) live below poverty line who cannot afford
costly branded medicines. Globally various strategies to enhance access and
improve use of medicines have been suggested like promoting use of generic
medicines, providing universal health coverage, allowing government subsidies
on medicines, making medicines a zero mark-up sector, enforcing micro-insurance
schemes etc. However, given the unique circumstances, regulatory framework and
constitutional barriers within India where health is a state subject, it
becomes highly imperative to develop innovative and effective strategies and to
devise pharmaceutical policies at the national as well as state levels in order
to overcome the disparities between pharmaceutical production and access to
medicines and to improve their use in public as well as private sectors.
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