E-DRUG: Essential Drugs in developed countries (cont)
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Hi all
I agree with Andy's comment regarding "rationing" as the underlying
principle governing the distribution of scarce resources.
It is fundamental to the study of economics that resources are scarce, that
needs exceed resources and that systems exist which influence the rationing
process - economics was referred to as the dismal science for just this
reason.
It is also useful to remember that economics and politics are closely
linked.
Someone must make choices on behalf of the people about the type of
economic system that will best serve their political mission. It is
the politicians that must decide and defend their decisions. In this
context, allowing the free enterprise system unrestricted activity in
a developing country, has not been shown to provide safe, affordable and
accessible health care of acceptable quality to the greatest number of
people.
As distasteful as it might be to those who favour free choice,
rationing in the form of resitricted formularies and essential drug
lists is the kind of decision that politicians could defend, and
they would also be able to provide evidence of its effectiveness.
Cheers
Billy
Billy Futter
Associate Professor
Faculty of Pharmacy
Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
email B.Futter@ru.ac.za
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