World Health Day: PAV seeks rollback of hike in drug prices
The Hindu
Healthcare going out of the reach of common man, say experts
A signature campaign was organised by Praja Arogya Vedika (PAV) to protest against the hike in the prices of drugs by the Central government, in connection with World Health Day, outside King George Hospital (KGH) on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, PAV State general secretary T. Kameswara Rao said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has come out with the slogan ‘Our Earth – Our Health’ to highlight the crucial role that the environment plays in our life.
“The present state of affairs in regard to health protection has remained a distant dream as the slogans of the governments do not reflect in their policies. Development would not be possible without strengthening of the health sector. The Right to Health of every citizen should reflect in the policies of the State and Union governments,” the PAV leader said, demanding a rollback of the hike in the prices of drugs which came into effect from April 1 this year.
Dr. Y.L. Narasinga Rao said that the poor allocation of funds by the governments for the health sector, particularly towards addressing the shortage of staff and procuring medical equipment, was resulting in healthcare going out of the reach of the common man.
JVV secretary M.V.R.S. Srikanth said that it was unfortunate that the Centre has increased the prices of 800 different types of drugs recently even as the nation was to fully recover from the after-effects of COVID-19. He said the hike in prices would cause an undue burden on the common man.
Among other things, the PAV representatives demanded of universal healthcare, reduction in the prices of drugs, removal of GST on drugs and allocation of 5% in the budget to health.
A healthy and balanced diet and regular exercise are important to maintain good health. Timely vaccination and regular health checkups are a must to keep diseases at bay, said Dr. R.V. Ravi Kanna, consultant, internal medicine, KIMS ICON Hospital.
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