In 1847, Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, advocated washing hands before performing surgeries. It might seem ridiculous now, but back then, doctors performing autopsies were delivering babies without washing their hands, which then infected almost every woman with childbed fever (an infection in the uterus.)
When the COVID-19 vaccine was released, the scientific community gathered much appreciation for their unhinged work ethic to find a cure. Though the field of medicine has advanced considerably, many treatments are also aggressive that people like us undergo willingly. Primarily because we think it saves lives or at least improves living conditions, unlike what happened in 1955 when the first polio vaccine was released. 200,000 children were injected immediately, of which 40,000 got polio, 200 were paralysed and much more. Reason being the virus was inadequately killed in the vaccine.
Recently, the Indian government announced a waiver of clinical trial requirements for drugs already approved in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the European Union. The signalled intent is to bring the latest medicines for treating diseases like cancers, rare diseases, and autoimmune conditions and for use in pandemic situations.
However, there are concerns about the government’s overall commitment to the well-being of its citizens.
Keeping all these things aside, sadly, medications and treatments lead to more medications and treatments. Philosopher Ivan Illich argues such actions “disable people from doing or making things on their own.” The practice of medicine has pivoted from promoting natural healing and working with the body. It has become a bureaucratic system that lacks commitment to individuals and prioritizes expertise over humanism.
This year(2024), India will reach a market of INR 2,279.01 billion for OTC over-the-counter drugs, which basically don’t require a prescription to get your hands on. So, you can imagine how many tablets people are consuming every day, acting as physicians themselves.
What Ignaz prescribed as preventive care, big pharmaceutical giants do not necessarily observe in the same way. Although innovative treatments are needed as of now, medicine is unable to recognise the singularity of their solution to human variation specific to each individual.
References-
https://www.statista.com/outlook/hmo/otc-pharmaceuticals/worldwide
https://jech.bmj.com/content/57/12/935
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/health-ministry-withdraws-fiat-mandating-doctors-prescribe-only-generic-drugs/article67231575.ece
grewal 