Relief for Drug Side-effects
By Dr Arvind Kumar
A recent report published in Japan Times reveals that there exists a system to provide relief for sufferers from drug side effects in Japan. Drug-induced suffering such as SMON (subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy) — caused by chinoform, a drug for intestinal disorders — as well as the births of thalidomide babies prompted the establishment of the relief system in 1980. According to this report, Sufferers can receive relief without filing lawsuits. Government subsidies and contributions from some 750 pharmaceutical companies support the system, which is administered by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). In the case of death from side effects, the bereaved family receives either a pension or a one-time payment. Sufferers of serious disability also receive a pension. Those hospitalized receive medical allowances. The relief is a sort of social welfare. The health ministry screens applications and decides on the applicants’ eligibility. The problem with the system is that very few people know about it. A PMDA survey in 2009 indicates that only about 5 percent of ordinary citizens know about the system. Even among medical professionals and workers, the percentage is about 37 percent.
There is a dire need for emulating this model in India where drug quality and circulation of fake drugs by unscruplous elements is questionable. Even if one uses a medical drug properly, side effects cannot be ruled out. There is no mechanism to provide relief to the people from side-effects of drugs. Pharmaceutucal companies should contribute a part of their profits for providing relief to the sufferers as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
