A WORLD Health Organisation report states 28 million people die every year from non-communicable diseases in Low-Middle Income Countries. The NCDs report says LMICs represent almost 75 per cent of the fatalities in these countries owing to NCDs and the casualty is growing at an alarming rate.
In Pakistan, over 52 per cent males and 53 per cent females under the age of 70 die of NCDs every year, while the overall situation viz access to affordable essential medicines required for the treatment of NCDs is disencouraging.
The majority of Pakistanis belongs to low-income households and cannot afford medicines for considerably long periods, therefore many patients tend to skip or delay treatment.
Attention is now being paid to ensure access to medicines in LMICs. A leading Swiss pharmaceutical company has recently launched a worldwide programme focusing on the affordability and availability of the 15 most commonly prescribed medicines used to treat diabetes, breast cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases; the leading causes of death in LMICs.
Being offered as a basket at a price of one dollar per treatment per month, the access to subsidised essential medicines through the initiative will have a lasting impact for millions of people in poor countries.
This initiative is commendable. Other pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers must come forward to improve access to medicines and healthcare in a country like ours.
