Again, we come back to
the medications’ question in Egypt. The word question here is used to denote a
problem or crisis. In such terms, the situation prior to the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire was described as “the Eastern Question”. Also, the situation in
Egypt at a peak of the colonization-liberation conflict was described as the
Egyptian Question. There is also the Balkan Question… etc.
It seems there is a
conflict over pricing between those who want to enflame the prices and others
keen on increasing them in a balanced way that is fair to both the producer or
importer and the consumers. In our case here, we have a special kind of
consumers; meaning patients of different illnesses. Some of them can afford to
pay while the majority cannot. Therefore, it could be legitimate if we take
ethics – that are based on religious or humanitarian values or even both – into
consideration, in spite of the reality that those who worship profits do not
give in their huge gains easily. Moreover, they even consider this a divine
reward for their “genius”. In addition, those who falsely claim knowledge of
religion and appointed themselves guardians on us have worked hard to come up
with ethical covers from the sacred books and prophets’ biographies that
support such “huge gains”. I am almost smiling now while I am writing these
lines because I know I have the capacity to do the same thing; to cite
religious texts that permit making huge gains.
In any case, I have
received a comment that I think is very important because it came from a
specialist, practitioner pharmacist and one in charge of a high position in his
profession. Also, he is not a resident of the bustling Cairo. He is Dr. Ragae’i
Qousa; head of pharmacies’ owners’ guild in the governorates of Qena and Luxor.
He is also a member of the general guild of pharmacies’ owners and ex-head of
the pharmacists’ syndicate branch in Luxor.
Here is the message…
“Dear Sir,
I was attracted by your
articles that tackled the medications’ crisis in Egypt. What made me interested
in following your articles is that you are the only one who tackled such issue
to this deep level. Unfortunately, media completely ignores the medications’
problems. Their coverage for the health system in Egypt is limited to the
physician, medical equipments, hospitals and their facilities. They totally
ignore that all this will finally lead to what is written in the prescription;
this small paper that includes the medications needed for any curing to take
place.
In any country of the
world, medication means pharmacist… a pharmacist that makes medication… one
that distributes it… another that provides it in his pharmacy and describes the
proper usage for the patient. However, ignoring and marginalization of the
importance of the pharmacist role is done deliberately by the ministry of
health; this ministry always headed by doctors imagining – due to their narrow-mindedness
and personal interests – that any appreciation for the pharmacist role will
disparage theirs and threatens their rights and profits.
Accordingly, they were
always against establishing a supreme council for medication headed by a
pharmacist lest they lose control of this system which they regard,
unfortunately, as a source of income and not as science, research, marketing,
fabrication skills and dealing ways. As you can see, every detail in the
pharmaceutical industry system incorporates science, knowledge, economy, trading
and politics as well.
Having been working in
the trade union action for more than twenty years, I sincerely and enthusiastically
agree to you. However, I can assure to you that such supreme council will not
be established because medication is like an orphaned child kidnapped in the
health ministry’s orphanages with a high ransom demanded to release him. Such ransom
increases everyday to the extent that we can say a military action, and not just
journalistic calls, is needed to release him.
To give you a clue, I will
tell you about another issue that I wish you shed light on in your valuable
articles since you decided to step into the lions’ den. We have been calling
for writing the medications’ scientific name and not the commercial one in the
prescription as the single medication has more than 15 alternatives with
different prices ranging from the imported medication to the one manufactured
by an international company in Egypt and then the alternative produced by a
local firm.
However, doctors are
keen to write the name of medications imported or fabricated by international
companies to make use of the gifts, conferences and trips they receive from
these companies. Do you know, Sir that some gifts may reach to be the latest
modern cars and overseas trips including travelling tickets and residence in
7-star hotels for the big-name doctors… to the extent that some local companies
have started in turn presenting sums of money for the young doctors to face
such thing?
And so, the patient
became chased by the big-name doctors and even the young ones in government
hospitals and village health units. All this money spent is definitely added by
the companies over the medications’ prices and paid by the patient out of his
very limited income. Such added cost severely affects or rather destroys the
state economy.
The health minister
knows that. Actually, all health ministers know this fact. They know that the
medication price will decrease to less than its third if one ministerial decree
was issued obligating the doctors to write the scientific name of the
medication. It will also leave the patient free to choose the medication
according to his financial capacity… but it is in vain. As long as corruption
tyrants are taking control of the business, no good is anticipated.
Also, the medications’
prices can be way doubled in this very crucial moment of our circumstances.
Moreover, the prices can exceed 70 percent of the Egyptian people financial
capacity to find ourselves facing what is known as the medications’ famine as
the problem is not only about the rise in production cost of medications. It is
rather in the cost of overseas trips, gifts, gold pounds and
internationally-branded imported pens that doubled.
The question now arises:
will the state take sides with the Egyptian patient or will it let him down as
usual to stand with the doctors and the interests and revenues they make? I can
affirm to you that the minister will definitely choose the side of his
colleague doctors and let the Egyptian patient go to hell.
However, we believe
there are still very honest people in Egypt who stand in the face of
corruption. Although we know we are protesting against a ministry that is
filled with many corrupted characters; more evil than all mafias of the world,
we still have hope in those fighters, like you, ringing warning alarms and
exposing such dirty network of bats inhabiting the country’s institutions.
Finally, I would like to
thank you and tell you that I appreciate the enlightening role you are pursuing
in service of our country”… The message ended.
We shall continue later…
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This
article was published in Almasry alyoum newspaper on December 21, 2016.
To
see the original article, go to:
#almasry_alyoum
#ahmed_elgammal #Egypt #medication #health_system_in_Egypt
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