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R HEART U O Y S E H C T H AT T O U Y L I A D G IN AN INSPIR Vol. 1 No. 51 Pages 16 PUNE, THURSDAY JUNE 14, 2012 Rs.4 WEATHER Sunrise .....................05:58 Sunset ......................19:12 Moonrise .................01:58 Moonset ..................14:54 Temperature Min ...........................24 0c Max ...........................33 0c Rain ............................... Cloudy
HOT DEBATE Rajasthan has shown the way to save lives through generic medicine distribution, a trend brought to light by the Aamir Khanhosted show Satyameva Jayate. The question is, can Maharashtra replicate the concept successfully?
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Aamir inspires
State to get generic medicines
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e said, she said and they said…’ Raise the subject of low-cost generic medicines and you can see fingers pointing in every possible direction. If you watched a recent episode of ‘Satyameva Jayate’, you will know that there are alternatives to expensive, branded medicines. A major chunk of what you shell out for medicines, or rather, the very reason you have to shell out more in the first place is because of their ‘branded’ nature. Simply put, branding means marked or labelled by a distinctive word or symbol indicating exclusive rights. It implies a certain standard or quality that you can expect from the product.
Change needed “We have always used generic medicines at the governmentrun dispensaries and public hospitals,” insists Somnath Pardeshi, Medical Officer of Health at the PMC. If private doctors start prescribing generic medicines, it might remove the fear of poor quality from the minds of people and they would sell. With the government’s quality control system and empanelment of very standard companies, efficacy of the medicine would not be a problem, he says.
Systematic approach The three-pronged approach adopted in Rajasthan (see box), beginning with educating all personnel involved in healthcare about standard treatment guidelines and prescribing medicines by salt names, has worked well
The Rajasthan Model
Low-cost generic medicine shops dot Rajasthan State
Maharashtra to be blessed as well z Urged by Aamir Khan to follow the Rajasthan model on generic medicines, the Maharashtra Health Minister Suresh Shetty has said, “The decision to purchase generic medicines was taken by the state 18 months ago. However, the government could not introduce the drugs immediately as it had already signed various rate contracts. These contracts have now come to an end. So, from now on, we will only purchase generic medicines.” z Generic medicines will be introduced in all government hospitals in Maharashtra from late June. “ We plan to have at least one outlet providing generic medicines in each division on a trial basis,” he added. there. End users have been educated regarding the price differences and also any myths and misconceptions about the quality of generic drugs addressed. The government has also ensured that these drugs are available on a consistent basis. “Doctors rarely dispense medicines, especially in urban areas,” feels Dr Taruna Madan. No doctor would object to the drug being replaced with a cheaper generic version, but since they are not
widely available, it becomes mandatory to go with locallyand conveniently-available brand names, he clarifies.
Availability issues The view is reiterated by the President of the Indian Medical Association, Pune Chapter, Dr Bharati Dhore Patil, “Where are these drugs available? Maybe in a few corners of the city, in a limited number of shops. The patient can hardly be expected to go hunting for a
z Four type of shops are set up throughout the state to avail low-cost medicines in the urban as well as rural areas: z 1) Life Line drug Stores: These 24X7 stores are run by the Rajasthan Medicare relief Society (RMRS). These are also authorised to dispense medicines to government employees. z 2) Cooperatives medical stores: run by Cooperative Dept are set upon the land/place provided by the public health facilities. z 3) Stores of Kray Vikray Sahakari Samitis: run by Co-operative Dept are the marketing stores of the co-operative societies running at the district hospital level z 4) Jan Aushadhi Kendra: where the procurement is made from the Public Sector Units (PSUs). drug in an emergency. Generic medicines should compete with branded medicines in terms of availability and quality. Then we can prescribe them. Also, there is a real scepticism in the minds of people about these drugs. So their fears must be allayed through education and information, if it has worked in one state there is no reason it cannot work in another,” she says. >>Continued on Page 5
De-silting to boost Khadakwasla capacity Environmentalistactivist Col. Suresh Patil (retd) spearheads the first-of-itskind procedure with the help of the Southern Command and NGOs
To this effect, well-known environmentalist and activist, Col. Suresh Patil (retd), who
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carcity of drinking water supply in Pune is being felt in most of the neighbourhoods. More than 30 per cent of the water is wasted to pipeline leaks, on its way from Khadakwasla to Parvati Water Works. In addition, experts say, is the huge amount of silt in its bed, which prevents adequate storage at the source. De-silting will help in augmenting the storage space of water.
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z Green Thumb plans to go beyond de-silting. Col. Patil adds, “We are embarking upon the task of planting 10 lakh saplings over the next few months, from Khadakwasla up to the upstream dams of Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar.” JCB from the Southern Command helping in de-silting Khadakwasla
was recently in the news for campaigning against President of India’s post-retirement home, has joined hands with
Life 365 is more than just a daily that packages `life’ in its 16 pages. It is a platform to understand your city better in terms of the good work silently being done by hundreds of good samaritans. Their stories of
the Southern Command Headquarters to ambitiously carry out de-silting. According to Col. Patil, it is the heavy
how they lend an extending hand could propel you to contribute your bit to the society. In this progressive city of Pune, the desire to the serve the society is very strong, as we learnt from interaction with citizens.
felling of trees from the upstream areas, to the tune of four lakh trees, which has led to tremendous soil erosion,
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leading to it being collected in the Khadakwasla waters. “We made a presentation to the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and he was convinced of our activity to remove years and years of silt, in order to increase water volume,’’ he says. Helping Col. Patil, who is carrying out this work under the umbrella of his NGO, Green Thumb, is the Southern Command. Col. Vikrant Dhumne, General Staff (joint operations), who confirmed Southern Command’s contribution to this project in way of lending JCBs to help in de-silting. >>Continued on Page 5
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