Capping price on essential drugs:

It’s a good news! The Government of India has since taken a decision to put a price cap on essential medicines in the country. This good step is reportedly the first one of the kind in India. The step so taken is supposed to benefit several thousands of the patients in the country like those suffering from AIDS, cancer, besides giving relief to those who use drugs for TB, pain killers, sedatives, lipid lowering agents and steroids. The decision prescribes necessary maximum as a retail price of the respective drugs at the level of the consumers. The drugs so earmarked are being brought under the control of DPCO (Drug Price Control Oder) after which no dealers shall be permitted to charge any extra amount beyond what is fixed by the government as retail price. The essential drugs so covered under the scheme are the ones needed most by the patients in respective areas. Serious ailments require heavy expenditure on different other items besides medication and this becomes difficult for the patients to afford it. If they can get atleast the relaxation so prescribed by the government in retail prices of the drugs, this is certainly a big relief to them. There are establishments which give their employees full or part reimbursement of their expenses on medicines, but there are many who have no such practice, and it obviously causes enormous difficulties to the patients. In fact the way the soaring prices in general are affecting the people in the country, what the government is supposed to do is to apply necessary control on other essential commodities, say like food items, besides the drugs, and this shall be the step to extend relief to the people in general.

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