[kamaal]

>>I'm an Indian citizen and have the right (luckily) to dissent.

Oh! I am an Indian too.

Cost reduction is innovation too. Its like what Telecommunications companies have done to call rates here. Remember the days when getting a telephone connection required recommendation letters from ministers? These days you can get one for 100 rupees with a address proof in 20 minutes.

Pharmaceutical patents at most act like software patents sooner or later some one discovers them. But to act like 'I discovered first, so pay me eternally or suffer mercilessly and die' attitude will only do damage.

You are also right in the sense that we must incentivize research. But for that we need larger health care reforms especially in the areas of health insurance. Every Indian must have a means of affording health insurance and pay for quality health care. I like Narayana Hrudayalays's schemes in Bangalore, for farmers and alike.

Regarding when that will happen, your guess is as better as mine.

[ashishgandhi]

Oh most definitely! I totally agree with making healthcare accesible to all income groups and at the same time cheaper for everyone.

Don't like to copy-paste but in one of my other comments I wrote: ... Debate about models such as free public healthcare, compulsory insurance, compulsory insurance where the government pays the difference that the less wealthy can't make up for, etc... (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4124317)

[kamaal]

Actually back in the days of PSU's like HAL, ITI, BHEL .. etc. These schemes where there.

You could even go to private clinics. I mean you could go to a good private clinic, get yourself good healthcare and it would be paid for with your + company's contributions.

There were even hospitals that ran minimal payment schemes like MS Ramiah Hospital in Bangalore. Where the hospital trust would finance the difference of treatment after your bills. Sai Baba hospital is doing an awesome job, I know many poor people who got their cataract operation done for almost what they could pay. But as you know our country's population is too high for these patch work attempts to work.

The Government of India needs to seriously reflect on

a. Health care reforms.

b. Insurance, and ways of making it work.

c. Cut corruption in government hospitals and other areas.

d. Taxes on essential commodities like medicine and equipment.

By all means tax the alcohol,cigarettes and other luxury stuff, but taxing medicine and things that save people lives. Isn't quite justifiable.

[kamjam]

Out of interest, what kind of healthcare reforms are you talking about? Something like they have in the US, via paid insurance, or something like they have in the UK with "free" healthcare for all via the NHS?

If it's the latter, with a population of 1.2 billion, this would surely bankrupt India?

[kamaal]

No free stuff.

We need to learn to work for the things we get.

[rjuyal]

That is awesome kamaal.