Arrest of health professionals deplored

The arrest of four Turkish health professionals for providing medical care to a wounded child in Turkey during a curfew has been deplored by the World Medical Association (WMA) and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME).

The four health staff – a physician Dr. Nesim Sayın and three nurses – were detained and arrested by Turkish authorities earlier this month following a police raid on their homes. According to information from their lawyers, they provided care to a 12-year-old wounded child in 2015 at a time when there was a curfew and access to health services was almost impossible. They have now been detained in Şırnak Prison on charges of providing support to terrorist activity.

In a letter to the Turkish President, Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chair of the WMA and CPME President, protests about ‘the brutal arrest’ of the four. He said: ‘There is a remarkable disproportionality between the alleged facts and the measures taken by the Turkish authorities. We are very sceptical that providing care to a 12-year-old wounded child constitutes a crime that poses a threat to public order justifying such a police raid.

‘These health professionals have done nothing more than perform their duties in line with the ethical principles of health care. According to our code of conduct, it is a physician’s obligation to maintain the utmost respect for human life. It is therefore our responsibility to extend health care to all who need it, anywhere and even in emergency situations. ‘Penalizing those providing health care to injured people is an aberration and a flagrant infringement of medical ethics, humanitarian and human rights’.

Dr. Montgomery added: ‘International humanitarian law, ratified by Turkey, requires health professionals to provide healthcare and assistance to all in need and in all circumstances. To criminalize these actions is appalling.

‘We urge the Turkish authorities to recognize this fact and to immediately drop the charges and release these health professionals’.

Healthcare News Monitor

Govts Proposal For Law on Violence Against Doctors Ready, Health Ministry To Send Bill To Cabinet Soon

News 18 - PTI

A draft legislation seeking to punish people who assault on-duty doctors and other healthcare professionals by imprisoning them for up to 10 years, has been finalised and will be made public soon for feedback, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday. Those "grievously hurting" doctors and other healthcare professionals in clinical establishments may face imprisonment between three and ten years and could fine between Rs 2 to Rs 10 lakh, official sources said of the provisions in the draft bill. The draft bill says those commissioning violence or causing damage to the property of a healthcare facility can be imprisoned for six months to five years and fined between Rs 50,000 and Rs five lakh, they said. Healthcare professionals include doctors and para-medical staff and also medical students, diagnostic service providers in a health facility and ambulance drivers. "The Central law, a long-standing demand of the medical fraternity, which seeks to prohibit violence against doctors and other healthcare service personnel and damage to property of clinical establishments has been finalised. We will soon put it in public domain for comments and feedback," Vardhan said. "Once finalised, we will take it to the Cabinet," he added. The draft bill also provisions for compensation which could be twice the market value of a property damaged and Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for being assaulted or hurt, sources said.

Indian pharma industry may achieve double-digit growth by 2030

Financial Express- PTI

As per a report prepared by the IPA, at its current rate of 7-8 per cent CAGR, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow about USD 80 to 90 billion by 2030. Indian pharmaceutical industry can achieve a target of double-digit growth by 2030 through a host of measures including regulatory support from government like increase in budgetary allocations for healthcare and promotion of innovation, a pharmaceutical industry body said. Setting a coherent pricing policy framework, simplifying regulatory approval processes, creating a separate Ministry of Pharmaceuticals and dedicated zones for creation of medicines, are some of the ways that the government could help the industry achieve the ambitious target of becoming a USD 120-130 billion industry by 2030, it said. “We are seeking from government a stable pricing policy. Whatever government decides in terms of drugs pricing should be kept stable for at least five years, Secretary General of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, Sudarshan Jain said here. The government should also aim to increase expenditure on healthcare from about 1.2 per cent to 2.5 per cent of GDP in the next five years, and to 5 per cent by 2030, for the industry to grow, Jain said. “Ayushman Bharat Scheme that brings 40 per cent of poor population under state-funded insurance cover also broadens possibilities to all healthcare ecosystem players including pharmaceutical companies,” he said.

Reduce GST, form a separate ministry of pharma, zones for creation of medicines, says Indian pharma body to govt

Firstpost- PTI

Indian pharmaceutical industry can achieve a target of double-digit growth by 2030 through a host of measures including regulatory support from the government like increase in budgetary allocations for healthcare and promotion of innovation, a pharmaceutical industry body said. Setting a coherent pricing policy framework, simplifying regulatory approval processes, creating a separate Ministry of Pharmaceuticals and dedicated zones for creation of medicines, are some of the ways that the government could help the industry achieve the ambitious target of becoming a $120-130 billion industry by 2030, it said. "We are seeking from the government stable pricing policy. Whatever the government decides in terms of drugs pricing should be kept stable for at least five years, Secretary-General of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, Sudarshan Jain said here. The government should also aim to increase expenditure on healthcare from about 1.2 percent to 2.5 percent of GDP in the next five years, and to 5 percent by 2030, for the industry to grow, Jain said. "Ayushman Bharat Scheme that brings 40 percent of the poor population under state-funded insurance cover also broadens possibilities to all healthcare ecosystem players including pharmaceutical companies," he said.

CDSCO issues draft notification to mandate QR code on API packaging

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued a draft notification which mandates that every active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) packaging should bear Quick Response (QR) code on its label to facilitate tracking and tracing. It has directed all the stakeholders to send their recommendations on the same within a period of 30 days. As per the notification, “The said draft rules shall be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of thirty days from the date on which the copies of the Gazette of India containing these draft rules are made available to public. Objections and suggestions which may be received from any person within the period specified above will be considered by the Central Government.” Every active pharmaceutical ingredient (bulk drug) manufactured or imported in India shall bear Quick Response code on its label at each level packaging that store data or information readable with software application to facilitate tracking and tracing. The stored data or information shall include the following like unique product identification code, name of the API, brand name (if any), name and address of the manufacturer, batch number, batch size, date of manufacturing, date of expiry or retesting, serial shipping container code, manufacturing licence number or import licence number and special storage conditions required (if any), the notification states.