Humane....

Author:Waed Sweilmyeen
Country:Jordan


Humane!
A word by which we describe medicine and pharmacy! We use this word reluctantly thinking it is not suitable, bellow standards!!!
Dear reader , consider the use of this word again for it is a fact that 30-50 per cent of medications in developing countries are fake, useless precisely!

The trade of such adulterated medications is not new ; however it is the rapid growth of this horrifying trade that made me write…

It is estimated that the profits of this trade will have reached 75 billion US dollars by 2010, a fact that led American researchers to conclude that this epidemic trade is a vicious competitor to this of drugs!

The countries affiliated to this trade the most are the US and China and lately some European countries such as France are joining the league of notorious producers of these toxic "medications"! And it is the developing countries such as Nigeria, Vietnam and many African countries which are affected the most!! It is said that 64% of malaria vaccines in Vietnam lack the active ingredient needed to treat this disease! Another example can be seen in my beloved little country, Jordan, where lately the concerned authorities have discovered the entry of JD 250, 000 worth of such medications! Medications for the treatment of diabetes and cancer precisely! and I feel needless to tell you , dear reader, that diabetics or those suffering of cancerous tumors are in no need of further manipulation with their already ill health!

Targeted medications for adulteration are those expensive, rare ones that need to be prescribed by a doctor such as Hormones and treatments of cancer, neurological disorders , especially in developed countries , infertility at a large scale and recently bird flue!!!!
Such medications are produced either by using low concentrations of the active ingredients , ones below the average concentrations used in the original medications or by using completely different chemicals! Some producers did actually use starch, white cement and chalk powder! Salt and water were used as well for drops and ampoules!

One cannot help but wonder why on earth such thing is done! Let me answer your question, oh curios one!
As I have already mentioned, the victims of this trade are those who live in developing countries and poverty tormented cities! Places where people sustain on practically nothing! Now this "nothing" is supposed to pay for food, clothing, rents, bells, education and health care!
I know that you might be thinking of governmental health insurances for a proper coverage to health care but in such countries such care is really poor and hardly sufficient!
One will stand in line to get to the clinic and then a doctor would prescribe a sort of medication , an imported one, that is not available in the clinic's pharmacy but surprisingly always available outside for considerable prices!!
To a person who works non stop for a living that we hardly think of as opulent, any cheap substitute to the expensive one will do perfectly fine!
And it is in those substitutes that tragedies lie!
Kidney's failure, respiratory problems, strokes, heart attacks, Paralyzation and occasional deaths just because a poor one wanted to save some dimes and a greedy one wanted to collect them!!!

And amidst all this we stand !
Probably ignorant of this heinous practice! All that is being done is having strict laws when it comes to importing medicine , frequent check ups on pharmacies and few unseen attempts to raise awareness in the matter!

It is for awareness that my pen wrote and it is for awareness that I ask you , gracefully , to spread the news! As it might be me, you or any dear beloved of yours that is being literally killed for following a doctor's advice and taking medicine regularly !!