[ Govt wants us to pay more on Cancer Drugs and other Life saving Drugs.]

CANCER drug prices to rise as Govt lifts duty exemption

SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA,BENGALURU,FEBRUARY 7,2016

As many as 74 drugs,including life saving ones used for treating cancer and HIV,will see a sharp rise in prices as the government has withdrawn customs duty exemption on their imports.

CBEC last week issued a notification withdrawing exemption of levy of basic customs duty on as many as 74 drugs

The medicines on which customs duty will now be imposed include the ones used for treating bacterial infections[1],leukemia[2],anesthetic medication[3],human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)[4] or hepatitis B virus cells[5],allergies[6],arthritis[7],lupus[8] and ulceration colitis[9] might also see spurt in prices.

"The withdrawal of exemption from basic customs duty for certain drugs and medicines including life-saving drugs is intended to provide protection to the domestic manufacturing industry and enhance the attractiveness of make in India initiative." KPMG India Partner and Head of Indirect Tax Sachin Menon said.

"An increase has also been made in the customs duty rates of certain life saving drugs such as abciximab,anti-rabies immunoglobin[9],FSH[10],procarbazine[11] and saquinavir[12 to 35%",

Dolite in India Senior Director M S Mani Said.These changes signify the intention of the govt to promote domestic manufacture of these items as imports would now become more expensive.Mani said. Menon said the move seems to be in line with the government's objective to rationalize duty exemptions..
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Questions by the Blogger to -  Mr.Mani & Mr.Nair:-
Please let us know as you have come forward  to recommend the local drug manufacturer's if all the drugs [1] to [11] are made in India and if so the name of these drug manufacturers and the cost and quality effectiveness to the respective drugs "Made IN INDIA to the imported drugs and if the local drugs have been tested by Expert Medical Professionals in High Tech Hospitals.
THIS IS A LIFE & DEATH QUESTION PLEASE.

OR
May be what Mr.Sachin Menon Head of Indirect Taxes has said is more important to his dept than Cancer Patients.

[ With cap on govt help,poor patients face a slow death without treatment.]Many withdraw from Medical Care,Not Able To Afford it.

sunitharao@timesgroup.com

When Satish Gowda,55 a vendor from Chickballapur,suffered a relapse of tongue cancer,after doctors suggested him tongue reconstruction through a plastic surgery along with radiation therapy He,however stopped the treatment.The reason the Vajpayee Arogya BPL insurance scheme which he is a beneficiary does not provide treatment on relapse or any surgery to get back his voice.

Satish is not alone hundreds of cancer patients in Karnataka are withdrawing from treatment and facing a slow death not being able to afford the cost.

Even as the number of cancer cases is on the rise,the vajpayee Arogya scheme provides only Rs.1.5 lakhs for the poor patient and Yeshasvini insurance scheme for poor farmers does't cover for chemotherapy.Oncologists say there is a gap between technological advancement in cancer care and funds provided under govt schemes."Poor cancer patients in India end up getting only mediocre chemotherapy."a senior Oncologists said.

Over 50% of cancer deaths across the world happen in Russia,India and China,according to a recent WHO research.The fact sheet says that while India spends $ 641 per cancer patients,China spends $ 2,200 and Russia $ 3,780.The US spends a whopping $96,758 on each cancer patient.

Though the govt wants to help the needy cancer patients it lacks the vision,say oncologists who see patients withdrawing treatment because of un affordability."For some tests,cyber knife technology needs to be used.But the govt insurance scheme does not cover it,and provides only the basic treatment"said Dr.Vishal Rao member of the high powered committee on tobacco control set up by Karnataka govt.

According to Dr.B.S.Ajai Kumar founder of HCG Cancer Care,the mortality rate is high among BPL patients.They need the best treatment as they have to get back to work.While formulating insurance schemes,the govt should consult doctors he added.

Dr.Santosh Gowda, head of medical oncology Mazumdar Shah Cancer Center said,"In India,the treatment is based on affordability.It's sad we can't prescribe them the best medicine as they can't afford it.When contacted a senior officer from health and family welfare department said the situation may and will improve if the govt makes budgetary allocation keeping cancer care in mind.

[ Eye Cancer for Children age 1-3 - Free Cancer Treatment at Narayana Netralaya.]

FREE CARE HERE

Retinoblastoma or childhood eye cancer appears in the form of white reflection in the center of the eye or sometimes in the form of squint eye.The worst affected are children in the age group of 1-3 years."We,at Narayana Netralaya,are willing to help the needy poor patients withFree treatment" says Dr.Bhujang Shetty,Chairman of Narayana Netralaya.Health City Hosur Road,Bangalore.

Dr.Bhujag Shetty center at a function in his Hospital.

[ Breast Cancer most costly.]

'TREAMENT COSTS 
LAKHS OF RUPEES'

HER2 is a protein that makes breast cancer cells grow and can 
aggravate breast cancer.For HER2 positive patients ,even after
surgery and chemotherapy,we need to prescribe them an essential
medicine called 'Transtuzumap',it costs Rs.60,000 per dose for Indian version of the medicine where as the original US medicine
costs Rs.1,00,000.The patient has to have Rs.10,00,000 per year to
afford this medicine,which the poor can't afford.says Dr.Satish Gowda.   

Chandigarh became the first smoke-free city-state of India to become smoke-free in July 2007. Social activist Hemant Goswami did pioneering work to make Chandigarh smoke-free. Inspired by the success of Chandigarh,

The then Union Health Minister Dr. Ambumani Ramadoss enacted the new smoke-free regulation in 2008. India banned smoking in public places on 2 October 2008. Nearly a decade earlier, on 12 July 1999, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court in India banned smoking in public places by declaring ``public smoking as illegal (the first time in the world), unconstitutional, and violative of Article 21 of the constitution. The bench headed by Dr. Justice K. Narayana Kurup, held that tobacco smoking in public places (in the form of cigarettes, cigars, beedies or otherwise) falls within the mischief of the penal provisions relating to public nuisance as contained in the Indian Penal Code and within the definition of air pollution as contained in the statutes dealing with protection and preservation of environment, in particular, Prevention and Control of Pollution Act 1981. The Supreme Court in Murli S Deora vs. Union of India and Ors., recognized the harmful effects of smoking in public and also the effect on passive smokers, and in the absence of statutory provisons at that time, prohibited smoking in public places such as,1.auditoriums, 2. hospital buildings, 3. health institutions, 4. educational institutions, 5.libraries, 6. court buildings, 7. public office, 8. public conveyances, including the railways.

[ Countries which are marching towards Tobacco Ban.]

Total tobacco ban.

Bhutan is the only country in the world to completely outlaw the cultivation, harvesting, production, and sale of tobacco and tobacco products under the 'Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan 2010'.

However, small allowances for personal possession are permitted as long as the possessor can prove that they have paid import duties. The Pitcairn Islands had previously banned the sale of cigarettes; however, it now permits sales from a government run store.

The Pacific island of Niue hopes to become the next country to prohibit the sale of tobacco. Iceland is also proposing banning tobacco sales from shops, making it prescription only and therefore dispensable only in pharmacies on doctor's orders.New Zealand hopes to achieve being tobacco free by 2025 and Finland by 2040.

In 2012, anti-smoking groups proposed a 'smoking licence' – if a smoker managed to quit and hand back their licence, they would get back any money they paid for it.

Singapore and the Australian state of Tasmania have proposed a 'tobacco free millennium generation initiative' by banning the sale of all tobacco products to anyone born in and after the year 2000.

In March 2012, Brazil became the world's first country to ban all flavored tobacco, including menthols. It also banned the majority of the estimated 600 additives used, permitting only eight. This regulation applies to domestic and internationally imported cigarettes. Tobacco manufacturers have 18 months to remove the non-compliant cigarettes, 24 months to remove the other forms of non-compliant tobacco.

INDIA MUST BAN LIKE OTHER COUNTRY'S Tobacco products of cheap form GUTKA completely in any Name.Mouth Cancers are mostly related to Gutka and Raw Tobacco Chewing even by woman in rural areas.

[ Cancer Day - February,Thurs Day 2016.]

Today is cancer day but our TV media has not bothered to say what is happening to cancer patients of undernourished children in India. However the press media has said much.60% of children affected by cancer who are undernourished run the risk of lower cure rate of cancer.

"Cancer affected children are prescribed a neutropenic diet< or a low bacteria diet that reduces the amount of bacteria.Decreasing the bacteria and mold content of foods helps reducing the risk of food poisoning and bacterial infection" said Urvi Jhaveri,national lead dietitians from Cuddles Foundation,an NGO that trains nutritionists specialized for pediatric oncology.

THE STORY ACROSS THE COUNTRY

NUMBER OF CASES DIAGNOSED IN INDIA IN 2015

28% Tobacco related cancers.

19% Gastro Intestinal Tract

9% Breast Cancers.

8% Cervix Cancers.

10% Lymphoid and haemopoletic malignancies.

5% Corpus uteri and ovary cancers.

3% Prostrate Cancers.

2% Central Nervous System.

Source - Projection of burden of cancer,Indian Council of Medical Research.