Topic: Insuring Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals
Country: India
Delegate Name: Grace Pynnonen
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All India position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
Pharmaceutical costs are increasing faster than any other health care need. Money is lost due to corrupt practices in all areas of pharmaceuticals; in fact, 10-15% of public procurement spending is lost to fraudulent practices. This is not just an issue for developing countries such as India, but for developed countries: 23 billion US dollars are lost each year due to fraud and abuse in health care. An indicator for corruption in healthcare is child deaths, because in areas with a higher child death rate have more incidents of corruption. Pharmaceuticals are also being counterfeited at an alarming rate, and countries must intervene to protect the public. Obviously, these counterfeit drugs are only harmful for the consumer, and this crime must be stopped. The high price of drugs is harming consumers as well, and generic drugs provide a cheaper alternative than their brand-name drug alternatives.
India has recently initiated a system started by Hewlett Packard to deter the counterfeit drug trade: cloud technology. After the drugs are shipped, a small strip on the container is rubbed off, and a code is revealed, the code is then texted and a response comes back informing the person if the drugs are real or not. HP works with the pharmaceuticals companies, allowing access to the aforementioned codes. The Indian health system promotes universal health service coverage, and thus works to properly accredit our health institutions.
All countries should consider increase the role of government in healthcare because governments can better and more effectively network and negotiate the prices of pharmaceuticals and services. Generic drugs should also be encouraged to make the price of pharmaceuticals more affordable. Simple innovations created by HP should be used by all countries to crack down on the crime of producing, distributing, and selling counterfeit pharmaceuticals. It is also important to realize the benefit of having universal healthcare, which allows the government to advocate the needs of its citizens. India urges the UN to use this method to combat this crime, as well as encouraging the use of generic drugs to allow people to afford the care they need to buy pharmaceuticals that save citizens' lives.
