Manipur and its state of public health

Reena Nongmaithem *

Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) OPD in May 2011 :: Pix - TSE

Public Health has been one of the biggest issues in every states of India. With a vibrant population, the country is dominated by rural poor fighting against uncountable social determinants of health from every angle. The condition is even worst in our state Manipur when compare with other states.

Manipur has become a great market hub of all types of commodities; and one of most badly affected States by so called globalization. As a result divide between poor and rich has been widening day by day. Poor are the victim of every wrong doings. Coming to the point - many poor die not for incurable diseases but because either of unaffordability for private hospitals or carelessness and not for good services at government /public hospitals.

While talking with number of people, most of them argue against the statement regarding satisfactory about services at government hospitals of Manipur. From their point of view, some doctors in government hospitals pay their attention according to peoples' outer appearance. They won't show mercy to the patient until and unless they have been offered with quality stuffs/gifts or money even though in life saving emergency cases.

They further complain about the inconvinence faced during baby delivery. They go for delivery with the hope that there will be more security being in hospital. But on the contrary, the mother has to suffer more sometimes, since they were treated as experiment subject for medical students.

The motive of this write up is not to be against the medical practitioners but an attempt to develop public health and its services in our state and to minimize the gap between rich and poor.

Above all these matters, one more burden to the poor is the ever raising medicine prices, the mushrooming of such a number of branded medicinal drug companies are influencing practitioners to avoid in prescribing 'generic medicines' means medicine without brand name.

Here, we all must know that we are paying more than 60% for the brand name. What we need most is the medicine not the brand name.

Here is some examples which was carried out by The Hindu:

1. "Cetrizine" is a generic medicine for common cold which is one of the most prevalent illnesses. It cost Rs.1.20 for 10 tablets including manufacturing, packaging, and transportation. But the branded version of the same medication,for example" Cetzine", cost over Rs. 35 for 10 tablets.

2. "streptokinase" or "urokinase", a common injection used to treat the cause heart attacks cost Rs. 1000. However their branded form cost Rs.5000.

3. A critical injection used to treat to resist malaria cost Rs. 25 for a pack of three injections whereas its branded form cost Rs.300 to Rs.400.

So by keeping all these in mind we can request our medicinal consultants/doctors to prescribe generic medicines as much as possible. Another thing, we should tell our government that we want more public hospital with attached public medical colleges.

Public hospitals means for public there will be no poor, middle or rich. Everyone should be treated equally, should get better service and everybody should be respected.