Shiban Khaibri
William Shakespeare says,” I charge thee, fling away ambition; by that sin fell the angels.” The ambition to turn rich by means foul and not fair, makes one fall from all pedestals of morality and ethics, wherein one throttles ones inner conscience and thus keeps indulging in all corrupt practices. We, the ordinary citizens of this country are crushed under the heavy mills of corruption and adulteration. Falsehood, counterfeiting, deceits and wrongs are apparently gaining ascendancy over and above fairness of things in a country where comparatively more of religion is seen to be practiced and believed in. Have you ever felt that when you fell sick and consulted a physician, who after examining you, prescribed certain medicines and you bought them but you did not get cured, parking blame, in turn, usually on the Doctor for not diagnosing the ailment properly. A physician who is trained and licensed to practice medicine , the noblest of the professions, is considered next to God . You changed the Doctor, went in for pathological tests, X-Rays, ultra sound, MRI and what not but things did not improve to your satisfaction. It could be all due to a spurious drug, a fake one sold as genuine and at “genuine” price taken by you as genuine.
According to WHO report, 35% of the world’s spurious drugs are produced in India. These spurious or fake drugs constitute a “flourishing” industry of Rs.4000 crores annually which is about 20% domestic pharmaceutical goods manufactured in India. It is a potential industry in itself. We are an exporting country but USA has put India in 301 – watch threat list. The apprehensions that such a fast expanding business of counterfeit, fake or sub- standard drugs is not possible without an organized nexus of manufacturers, traders, corrupt officers and politicians , cannot be brushed aside . Are these types of drugs even finding their way into the hospitals – well, it is believed that Hospitals, dispensaries and government institutions are the main destinations of such drugs, rather they are dumped there.
Do the people of this country not have the right to good health? Is it not our guaranteed right to demand of the government to take measures adequate, which can provide to each citizen the conditions of a healthy life? Has this country any sound Public Health Policy? Has adulteration in milk, pulses, ghee, spices and then vegetables and fruits (chemically dyed and fattened by injecting harmful oxytocin ) been even remotely checked by the government? Many of us are taking slow poison daily through those veggies and fruits like pumpkins, watermelons, brinjal, bottle gourds, bitter gourds, cucumber , apples, grapes, etc; which are injected with the otherwise banned Oxytocin, a schedule H drug, which brings with it , over a period, neurotic problems, sterility, nervous break down, heart and kidney problems. Milch cattle are injected with this hormone shooting oxytocin injection to extract more milk which even the infants are consuming. We are thus building a nation of sick, weak and undernourished future citizens and builders of this nation. Who cares? Does the government not know about this unethical, hazardous and illegal practice going on? Do those, chosen by us to govern this country, not know that there are innumerable tin shed factories believed to be over engaged in manufacturing this half rupee costing oxytocin ampoules and being sold across the country and being very easily available? Has any political party ever given a call for a Bharat Bandh against this dangerous practice or the demonic adulteration to educate and awaken the people ?
The spurious drugs are in various forms like the ones which are totally fake and could be filled with harmless substances like turmeric, lactose etc. It could also be in the form of recycled used injection vials with original intact labels; they could also be in the shape of re-labeling with packaging exactly like the branded ones; they could also be the ones reused beyond expiry dates. The types where these spurious medicines find their “melting ways” are some cough syrups, Paracetamol syrups, antibiotics, health tonic tablets, contraceptive pills, body building pills, E. D (corrective) drugs, fairness lotions and the like. Minor lapses or compromises with the set standard could lead even to loss of life.
The worrying part of the story is the reported mushrooming growth of spurious drug manufacturing units in India , especially the Northern belt , NCR leading followed by the adjoining states. Aligarh reportedly is a “leading” trade centre. The contributing factors are :- No fear of God, non belief in ethical and moral values to respect a human life, lack of effective and quick enforcement of laws, high remunerative trade, political patronage, wide spread corruption, newer techniques helping counterfeiting, numerous whole sale and retail outlets and the like. Not only the sick and those under treatment have reasons to feel scared, not only have the learned physicians to feel worried, not only those honest dealers and retailers have reason to feel concerned but those reputed pharmaceutical manufacturing units also whose products are imitated. Patients paying through their nose do not( in 20% cases) get the right medicine , the Doctor prescribing a particular medicine is not sure whether his or her patient could land in this 20% segment, all leading to a vicious circle. Who shall break it excepting our elected representatives who rule this country? Have they enough time to look towards this glaring and very important human issue most of whom are concerned about votes, votes and only votes? Very rare public debates are held on health related matters, where adulteration, counterfeiting, spurious goods, environmental matters, ecological issues are debated. We only see “other issues” fully debated, accusations and counter accusations leveled; Mr. Modi is necessarily increasingly debated followed by — who will be the next PM (projected) from this or that party, and then secularism is over discussed day in and day out interpreted in various convenient forms.
The positive side of the problem, however, is that 80% of the drugs available in the market are reported to be genuine and of standard quality but the small part of horrible 20% is believed to be fake and could prove disastrous. Let the government take it head on and proceed to implement one of the recommendations of the Mashelkar Committee report that maximum penalty for manufacturing and sale of spurious drugs causing grievous hurt or death should be enhanced from life term to death.
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