HOW
INDIA SAVED MY BURMESE BROTHER KO MMMT
Ko
is the affectionate way of addressing your brother, younger one, in the Burmese
way. I have Burmese connection (please read Amitav Ghosh’s excellent book THE
GLASS PALACE to learn the background) and it was Ko MM that bestowed upon me an
auspicious Burmese name, AUNG KHANT.
While
on my first ever visit to Siem Reap which was no more than a village at that
time, my middle brother Eliyahu and I stayed at the Tah Prohm hotel in the
centre of town and when we walked out, our eyes caught the sign THE
MANDALAY INN.
I
went in and introduced myself and of my Burmese connection and instantly we
became friends and later brothers.
I
can honestly say that Ko MM is the reason for my frequent visits to Siem Reap,
even though I have visited the main attraction, The Angkor Ruins, the largest
archeological ruins in the world, many times. It was here also that I met my
best friend in SE Asia, MYC, in 2008 and our friendship remains strong to this
day. My American Indian friends M and A, as well as Mitexi have stayed with Ko
MM, and my sister friend, that indefatigable nurse to the Yakama, have stayed
here as well. There have been other visitors as well.
It
is customary for me to visit Siem Reap twice a year, I checked my passport and
since 2014, I have 8 visas stamped on my passport!
Few
years ago, I received a call from Ko MM. He has been having vague abdominal
symptoms and wanted to discuss with me what has been happening.
In
another blog I have written about his trials and tribulations of getting
appropriate Medical Care living in this part of the world, where the
capitalistic drive of medical care and pharma care is rather stark and
bordering on cruelty.
The
doctors in Phnom Penh did an upper and lower endoscopy and viola, nothing was
found. But they did notice an elevation of white blood corpuscles. No one
Cambodia had an expertise in Haematology at that time, so my brother sought a well-known
hospital in Thailand, in Bangkok, which is a short ride away from here.
After
multiple days of testing, including bone marrow biopsy and CAT scans etc., a
diagnosis of a treatable blood disorder was given. The cost of diagnosis was
about 26,000 dollars, all payable in Cash. He is an hotelier and rather
professional and was doing well with his hotel and tour business and was in a
position to pay at that time.
Then
came the catch: the medication that would CURE (control indefinitely) this
disorder was available in Thailand but the cost per pill was 150 dollars (in
the USA it is about 250 dollars per pill, to the total of 140 000 dollars per
year).
As
soon as I could I planned a trip to Siem Reap, as I am based in Havana in Cuba
and Miami in USA, both about 15 000 km away.
When
medical matters above my competency (I am a specialist physician in
Endocrinology) is presented to me, I seek out my brother and friend (and a
fellow foodie traveller) Dr. MW.
We
discussed the results and we sought out our colleague at our alma mater JMH, Dr.
JH, of the illustrious H hematology family. We discussed the case in detail and
I am very grateful for the advice and time of both Drs. MW and JH.
The
science and diagnosis was confirmed and the treatment set in place.
But
the cost?
I
put in a call to a friend who has some pharmacy connections in Bangalore in
India. He said that medication is available in India but undergoing litigation
because the parent company was suing the Indian manufacturers for breeching
patent. But the Indian lawyers brilliantly argued in front of the Supreme Court
that this medication, which is marketed under another name and slightly,
modified chemical formula, was already out of patent and had been marketed in
the past. To the relief of not only myself and but many others, Supreme Court
of India sided with the Indian manufacturers and the medications would continue
to be sold in India.
The
cost of the medication which sells from 100 to 250 dollars per pill in SE Asian
and European countries, were selling in INDIA, for 1744 Indian rupees per 10
tablets, i.e. under THREE DOLLARS A PILL.
My
hard working Burmese brother, who worked himself from being a low position in
the Hotel Industry to own his own boutique hotel in another country, a loving
father and husband, he has two sons and one daughter, now could receive the
medication for under 5 dollars a pill, delivered to his home in Siem Reap!
Dr.
MW occasionally asks about him and I know that Dr. JH at JMH in Miami would
always be willing to offer professional advice.
My
Burmese Brother, Ko MM, found a competent haematologist in Singapore where he
travels to on a regular basis for check up and he gladly informs me that on his
last visit, all the laboratory and physical examinations were good with no
evidence of any hematological dysfunction.
THANK
YOU INDIA ..
During
my travels, I come across several stories of poor countries charging very high
prices for their medications when acceptable and therapeutically correct
medications are available from INDIA..
Why does a country like JAMAICA rely on expensive medications from the USA when they
can get similar medication at a fraction of the cost from India? I hope the African countries are listening.
INDIA is good at manufacturing medications (CHINA is not) and we can safely
import medications from INDIA.
On
this trip to Fort Cochin, I stopped by TARA MEDICALS whose owners have known me
for a while. They have a copy of my medical license on file.
Someone
I know in Miami, who has very good medical insurance coverage, has been
prescribed a blood pressure medication, Nebivolol 5mg per day. However good his insurance coverage is, they
do not cover this medication, which he could obtain for about a dollar per day
from his pharmacy. In INDIA, it is sold for 10 rupees per pill (13 cents US)!
Most
people in USA can afford ten cents a pill to stave off the complications of
Hypertension but not one dollar per pill!
WHO
IS TO BLAME?
Who
is to be thankful for? INDIA
THANK
YOU, INDIA, IN ALL OF YOUR 23 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES..
Both
myself and Dr. MW are Jewish and we have a concept of MITZVAH, the desire to do
something for other people and also as doctors we feel part of the Jewish
concept of TIKKUN OLAM, to heal the world (in more than just physical fashion).
Thanks
to INDIA, we were able to do a MITZVAH
To
help the deserving, hard working Burmese brother of mine, Ko MM
YESU
TIN BA DE
