by Marie Kauna – EMTV Online, Port Moresby
Price of genuine drugs and medicines is by far becoming a costly exercise and a burden for many sick patients.
Patients of these two diseases, Hepatitis C and HIV, are among the many patients from several different diseases, feeling the pinch of high pricing of genuine drugs and medicines.
Between the years 2005 – 2014, prices for twenty two percent of these genuine drugs and medicines have been found rising faster than inflation when compared. This according to the report by HHS Office of the Inspector General is now a struggle for many patients living with Hepatitis C and HIV infection.
For them, survival is dependent on the recommended drugs and medicine prescribed by certified doctors and with high price, many who are low and middle income earners, are struggling to seek better effective drugs to help them in their battle. For them, the struggle is real.
Today, many of these patients are resorting to seeking medical assistance from online sources that are providing drugs and medicines at cheaper prices, than that from conventional sources, due to preferences over pricing.
In a recent event, thousands of patients from London, Moscow to Sydney, due to high price, were found seeking medical drugs and medicines from ‘buyers clubs’, the new wave of online sources selling drugs and medicines at cheaper prices.
Although buying drugs and medicines online is seen unprofessional and risky, people are using this as their primary source to purchase genuine drugs to help them survive because the prices are reasonable and cheap.
With today’s transformation to advancing digital world, online selling is becoming a primary channel for many businesses, selling goods and services.
For patients living with Hepatitis C and HIV Viruses, this is one source where they find medical services cheaper.