Author: Dr Mrunalini
I am pretty well known in the country and constantly have a presence in news making headlines against the multibillion Pharmaceutical industries. I still struggle on a daily basis convincing people that I’m as good as the BIG BRANDS, and to start including me in their daily lives so to help them keep their diseases under control. This is a series of stories about me and a group of generics when we started our journey in K.G.Halli (Bangalore) through a primary care clinic in January 2014.
Every Monday, I sit there for few hours seeing people scan me with a close eye and have a skeptical look towards me and the idea of taking me home and start including me, to fight their war against the disease.
Along with me there are two doctors, two community health assistants bombarded with questions for being a generic drug, is there even a possibility of me being a generic drug?
The questions they encounter “Why is the color of the packet not green”? , Why do I have to take two medicines instead of one? , Why is it so cheap? Is it cheap because the strength is less? Do I actually help in controlling the disease? How can I be so affordable? Medicines for my disease always cost me a lot, how can the expenses suddenly be so less for a month, why are you people doing this work for the community? What do you get out of this? There are a lot of whys? There is lot of how can this be a real.
A lady sits across me , picks me up and says , this is not the same medicine for my disease, the shape is different, the cover is different, when I get two medicines in one tablet why should I take two separate tablets, will this cheap medicine help me control my disease?
The doctor sitting close by me answers with a comfortable ease and politely, that the packet color is different I agree, so is the shape. But the medicine which is required to cure your disease is inside this packet. Only the cover is different. The patient continues “but why can’t I get the combination?
Out in the community I’m an unspoken truth, or something which is never acknowledged, I’m a shadow amongst the big brands, the family physician when they see me pretend like I’m nobody. While the struggle continues, I choose to embark on a journey of my own in the community along with my dedicated team of doctors and community health assistants. I will introduce myself and promote myself that I too exist amongst the multibillion pharmaceutical industries, barring the fancy covering, huge promotion and marketing strategies.
Every journey begins with one small step, while I have embarked on this long journey, hoping it will be a successful in KG Halli.