India has put in place a US$5.4 billion (NT$157.6 billion) policy to provide free medicine to its people.
From city hospitals to tiny rural clinics, India’s public doctors will soon be able to prescribe free generic drugs to all comers, vastly expanding access to medicine in a country where public spending on health was just US$4.50 per person last year.
Under the plan, doctors will be limited to a generics-only drug list and face punishment for prescribing branded medicines, a major disadvantage for pharmaceutical giants in one of the world’s fastest-growing drug markets.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
“Without a doubt, it is a considerable blow to an already beleaguered industry, “ said KPMG partner Chris Stirling.
But the initiative would overhaul a system where healthcare is often a luxury, despite 40 percent of the people living below the poverty line, or US$1.25 a day or less.
Within five years, up to half of India’s 1.2 billion people are likely to take advantage of the scheme, the government says. Others are likely to continue visiting private hospitals and clinics, where the scheme will not operate.
(Reuters)
印度已實施一項價值高達五十四億美元(新台幣一千五百七十六億元)的政策,以提供免費藥物給人民。
從城市醫院到鄉村小診所,印度公立醫院醫師不久將可以開免費的學名藥給所有求診者,在健康支出去年每人僅四點五美元的國家,這項措施大幅擴展藥物的取得。
在此計畫下,醫師用藥將限定在名單上的學名藥,開專利藥將面臨處罰。在這個全球藥物市場成長最快速的地區,此舉將讓藥廠巨擘蒙受重大損失。
安侯建業聯合會計師事務所合夥人史特林說:「無疑地,這對已受困的產業是重大打擊。」
不過這項創舉將大幅改革(印度醫療)制度,在該制度中,健康照護通常十分昂貴,儘管百分之四十的人民生活在貧窮線以下,或者每日生活費一點二五美元或更少。
五年內,印度十二億人口中高達半數人民可能受惠於這項計畫,政府指出。其他人可能繼續到民營醫院與診所就醫,該項計畫將不在這些醫療院所運作。
(路透/翻譯:魏國金)
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Jumping rope has long been considered an excellent form of exercise. It not only burns calories but also improves cardiovascular health and __1__ core muscles. Anyone who has used a traditional jump rope, though, knows that it requires a certain level of skill and coordination. However, with the development of the cordless jump rope, this is __2__ the case. The cordless jump rope is an innovation in the fitness industry that has gained popularity in recent years. As its name suggests, it doesn’t have a cord connecting the two handles. Instead, each handle features a short cord with a
Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, which also adds other ingredients to its thick soup, the floating milkfish version primarily features the “floating fish” itself in its thick soup, ensuring that the fish paste remains the star of the dish. 讓我們來探索另一道台南人熟悉的美食:浮水魚羹。這道菜名奇特的美食,再再展現了台南虱目魚料理的多樣。浮水魚羹是用虱目魚漿做成的羹品,雖然和𩵚魠魚羹一樣是羹湯,但不像𩵚魠魚羹會在湯中加入其他食材,而是讓虱目魚漿成為這道料理的主角。 peculiar (adj.) 獨特的;古怪的 The belly of a milkfish is considered the most
The practice of freezing embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was thrown into chaos in Alabama this year, when the state supreme court ruled that such embryos should be considered children, exposing clinics to wrongful death claims in the event they are destroyed in the thawing process. In 2021, more than 80 percent of US IVF procedures involved the transfer of frozen embryos, according to a recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services. HOW IS EMBRYO FREEZING USED IN IVF? IVF uses high doses of hormones to stimulate ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. Once