NO REMEDY? Only a small fraction of medicines prescribed by doctors in the city are included in the list announced by the Centre. — PHOTO: M A SRIRAM

MYSORE: The Government of India's decision to bring down the price of medicines to make healthcare more affordable has turned out to be a sham for many patients in Mysore for, doctors rarely recommend these 886 drugs.

Most druggists across Mysore, who have just received the list of 886 formulations announced by Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ram Vilas Paswan, said that these drugs constituted only a small fraction of the medicines prescribed by doctors in the city.

Many patients, particularly the poor, are disappointed to find that the drugs they take are missing from the list of 886 formulations, for which there is a price reduction of 2 to 74 per cent.

Chandragupta Jain, proprietor of S and V Agencies, a drug store on Dhanwantri Road, told The Hindu that a majority of the formulations had been outdated. "Nobody prescribes most of these drugs anymore. It will make little difference to the patients", he said.

The commonly prescribed drugs for ailments such as cancer, diabetes, cardiac diseases and HIV have not been included in the list. Although a few antibiotics figure in the list, the percentage of price reduction was found to be a nominal 10 to 25 per cent. In contrast, the percentage of reduction for the rarely prescribed drugs was in the range of 50 to 80 per cent, Mr. Jain said.

Secretary of Mysore District Chemists and Druggists Association Narendra Babu said that the price reduction would not have any bearing on the cost of more than 90 per cent of the drugs sold in the city.

"They constitute less than 10 per cent. None of the promotional brands prescribed by the doctors figure in the list", he said.

Experts in the trade said that the prices had been reduced voluntarily by the drug manufacturing companies. Under these circumstances, one can hardly expect the prices of promotional brands to fall, they said.

Most of the drugs, the prices of which have dipped, are sold only at nursing homes and hospitals as generic medicine.

Druggists and chemists in Mysore are wary of demands from consumers for reduced price. "After the huge hype, the customers will start hankering us for dispensing drugs at a reduced price," Mr. Jain said.

Even for the few drugs, prices for which have been brought down, the decrease would come about only after two months when stores would start receiving fresh stocks, he added.

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