INDICES> vitamin prescriptions in the public sector (6)

[ram dixit <ramdixit@yahoo.com>]

vitamin prescriptions in the public sector (6)
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In India vitamin preparations are one of the most
frequently prescribed/consumed medicaments both in the
private as well as public sectors. They are
reimbursable and available over the counter too.
Practically every pharmaceutical concern, whether it
is a big MNC or a small scale firm (situated in a
dingy street of city or town), makes and sells them
and considers it to be their major bread-winner.
Doctors use these preparations as placebo and it is my
personal feeling that a nutritional deficiency of this
nature is not as common here as one would expect to be
in a developing country. Government tries to curb this
but only feebly. From Jan, 1, 2000, B1, B6, B12
combinations have been banned but it will take some
time to be effective and also there is a catch here
that if you combine anything else then it may be
allowed under the garb of nutritional preparation.
Some of these expensive preparations may contain as
much as 27 ingredients. It seems to be very difficult
to explain the lay public that wasting money on this
at the expense of a good, regular food will do no
good.

Dr Ram K Dikshit, M. D.
Associate Professor of Pharmacology,
B. J. Medical College,
Ahmedabad 380 016
India
e-mail: ramdixit@yahoo.com 



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