List of essential medicines should be updated for public interest

We use medication for disease prevention and treatment. With timely and proper use of the right medication, we emerge healthy. The necessity for all types of medications to sustain life is increasing due to the emergence of infectious and non-infectious diseases worldwide. Bangladesh is no exception. However, the unfortunate reality is that the prices of essential medications are not under government control, and there is no updated information available, which is deeply concerning for the country.

Bangladesh, as a member state of the World Health Organization (WHO), has the authority to determine the prices of all essential medications. However, according to reports in the media, the pharmaceutical authorities are adhering to some of the WHO's guidelines while disregarding others. We assert that this cannot continue. Either all WHO regulations must be followed, or none at all. However, as a signatory to the WHO, compliance with its regulations is mandatory.

According to the National Drug Policy 2016, the list of essential medicines should be updated regularly in the country. However, those directives of the drug policy are not being followed. Therefore, the government should update the list of essential medicines based on public interest and transparency. Along with that, it is necessary to introduce policies within the framework of drug procurement, sales, stock management, pricing, and healthcare regulations that are implementable. Therefore, experts believe that the government should be subjected to stricter scrutiny in accordance with the National Drug Policy. We believe that with appropriate implementation of the essential medicine policy, Bangladesh will establish a robust healthcare system. In addition, the endeavor for universal healthcare coverage in the country will be successful.

The 117 drugs that are in the list of essential drugs are not used much. However, the government needs to approve price increases for these less-used medicines.

In the 1982 drug policy, a list of 150 essential medicines was compiled. Over time, this list was reduced to 117. Experts argue that among these 117 essential medicines, the number actually available in patients' treatment packages is very low. Rather, the majority of the medications used for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, kidney complications, or cancer, which are the diseases affecting people the most nowadays, are not included in the government's list of essential medicines. Consequently, the government cannot regulate the prices of these medications. Most of the prices of these medications are determined by the pharmaceutical companies.

After the drug policy of 1982, drug policies were formulated in 2005 and 2016. However, the country is still operating under the drug policy of 1982. Many of the drugs listed as essential in 1982 are no longer available in the market. Many companies also do not manufacture them. As a result, healthcare providers do not prescribe those medicines.

According to research analysis, approximately two-thirds of the total health expenditure in the country is spent on medication. Furthermore, out of the annual market expenditure of 35 thousand crores taka on medication, only 3 to 5 percent is government spending, meaning that 95 percent comes from people.

The gradual increase in the prices of essential medications has adversely affected ordinary patients, which is unacceptable. On one hand, the rise in the prices of daily commodities, and on the other hand, the soaring costs of medication, have brought about a crisis in the lives of ordinary people. In this regard, if the drug policies of 2005 and 2016, which were revised after 1982, are strictly followed, it will protect the interests of both patients and pharmaceutical companies.