Topic: Insuring Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals
Country: Netherlands
Delegate Name: Waleed Khan
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Netherlands position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
The Netherlands believes that all people, regardless of age or health or gender are equally entitled to affordable pharmaceuticals and other healthcare. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year due to a lack of health insurance, an amount that is simply unacceptable to be considered civilized as developed countries.
The Netherlands recognizes that there happen some unofficial attempts to introduce pharmaceuticals — generally illegally — into societies with undeveloped health care systems. However, these are generally made with profit in mind, and the results are often in favor of the sellers rather than the buyers. In some cases, the drugs will be of poor quality, or counterfeit altogether. Such attempts should be viewed as dangerous and hostile actions; uncontrolled medicinal usage can be as dangerous as uncontrolled recreation drug usage. As such, the Netherlands recommends strict medicinal control and severe repercussions to those who would evade such control.
It should be noted, however, that, being profit-oriented, such activities tend to minimize costs while maximizing the amount of medicine delivered. Obviously, compromising the quality of the medicine is not an option, it should be noted the driving groups will utilize generically-produced versions of the drugs in question, rather than relying on expensive brand-name drugs. However, the brands in question suffer, as they rely on their profits to fund development. To use generic drugs would be to condemn those who invent them, which is not healthy for the advancement of humanity.
The Netherlands believes that its socialized healthcare system is a viable alternative in this scenario. Citizens are required to subscribe to health insurance, but in order to ensure it does not cripple low-income citizens, the prices are regulated by the government and the actual amount paid is tuned to the citizen's income level. In this manner, the consumers can enjoy health care without overpaying for health insurance.
The insurance companies in question are privately owned, ensuring that such companies have fair opportunity to earn their share of revenue to fund medicinal research. The market keeps these companies in check, ensuring that no company gains a monopoly and also that no company performs substandardly.
Affordable access to pharmaceuticals *can* be ensured, as evidenced by socialized healthcare programs, and the Netherlands is devoted to contributing to the well-being of the less fortunate in this regard.
