India’s generic- generosity saves millions of lives in over 200 countries

J.P. Nadda’s Moments of India’s Glory World Wide

New Delhi, June 17:  It was a taste of his ‘own’ medicine in Geneva last month that Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda would ever feel proud of sharing with all and sundry.

It was that cheap generic medicines produced in India by its pharmaceutical companies are saving millions of lives in more than 200 countries.

If the phrase ‘getting a taste of one’s own medicine’ ever had a positive connotation, it was in Geneva, where Mr. Nadda had gone to preside over the World Health Assembly. Of all the adulation on platter for him as president of the prestigious world body, Mr. Nadda savored this one the most. He was overwhelmed by the effusive praise among delegates of all countries, high and mighty, regarding India’s forte in providing the world with cheap quality medicines.  He felt swollen with pride.

In a special interview to Meditoall editor in Chief Dhananjay Kumar after he came back from Geneva, Mr. Nadda, spoke proudly about the generic generosity of India for the whole world and how he felt when he heard delegates speaking highly about this out there. It was already a special moment for Mr. Nadda because of India getting chair of this prestigious world body after 19 years but praise heaped on India about generics took the cake.

Mr. Nadda said, ‘It was really very gratifying indeed to hear first hand that the whole world feels indebted to India for its cheap generic medicines- that if millions of people all over the world are alive today it is only due to India’s generic medicines. I was told this in all the bilateral and multilateral meetings I attended on the sidelines of World health assembly. Especially, when I was in South Centre, a reputed think tank, praise was quite palpable for India’s generic generosity.’

Mr. Nadda further said, ‘India meets 70 percent needs of medicines in all developing countries. Not only this, India has emerged as the major supplier of medicines even for developed countries including USA and UK too. If India would not have produced generic medicines on the scale it does, the total expenditure on treatment in the world would have been humongous. Exorbitant cost of branded medicines would have left a pauper of the whole world ’

World Health Assembly (WHA) is the supreme decision making body of World Health Organization (WHO). It is attended by delegates from almost all countries of the world. 9 days long assembly sessions started on May 18. India has got a presidency of world health assembly after a gap of 19 years.

It was a well deserved praise that swamped Mr. Nadda in Geneva. Mark how- the branded medicine for cancer treatment for just one month amounts to one lakh rupees. India provides it just in 10 thousand rupees. It is due to Indian generic medicines that the world is today winning the fight against HIV/AIDS.

India is not only saving people of the world from diseases but saving them also from becoming pauper. Every year, due to out of pocket expenditure incurred on treatments, crores of people are shoved below poverty line in the world. In this expenditure, 70 percent is due to medicine.  Imagine the scenario if India would not have produced cheap generic medicines.

Is it then surprising that when Indian parents visit their children abroad, they take generic medicines suitcases with them too? Foreigners are not behind carrying back Indian medicine stuffed suitcases when they visit India.