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I am from India, and this is definitely something that happens very often. Doctors are very high in the respect scale. Pinch of salt, don't be fooled into thin
by praneshp 12y ago
I am from India, and this is definitely something that happens very often. Doctors are very high in the respect scale.
Pinch of salt, don't be fooled into thinking there are no doctors out to make money, etc. A 5000 Rupee tip is humongous. It's probably what she makes every month. If you had offered Rs 500 instead, she'd have likely taken it happily.
- yitchelle 12y ago5000 Rupee (or 63EUR) per month for nurse? If this is close to true, I really feel for them. They work just as hard as the doctors, some even more so.
- happyscrappy 12y agoHow do you think prices can be so low, besides not paying for R+D?
- praneshp 12y agoAmerican prices are not high because they pay for R+D. For the medicines, maybe. I'm epileptic, and the equipment that was used for my treatment in India was consistently better than the one my neurologist used for examination when I moved here. Essential drugs are cheap because of not paying for R+D, plus government subsidies.
- lake99 12y ago> Essential drugs are cheap because of not paying for R+D Not sure I'd agree there. In the west, even mundane drugs that don't need all that R&D, like common painkillers, antibiotics, vitamins, etc. are expensive. I think the issue in the west stems from regulations that make it difficult for new players to penetrate the market, even for generics. Running a cartel becomes easier that way. Compare [1] and [2]. [1] http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tylenol/ID=957-brand http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tylenol/ID=957-brand [2] http://www.medindia.net/drug-price/acetaminophen/crocin-500mg.htm http://www.medindia.net/drug-price/acetaminophen/crocin-500m...
- theoutlander 12y agoA medication that I take daily costs about $35 per month after insurance covers part of it. I get a years supply from India for ~ $11. The identical pill.
- lake99 12y agoThere seem to be quite a few of us chronics on this thread! My own meds cost about US-1200$ and IN-100$, per month. But I find it understandable in my own case... the drug is new, and the patent is nowhere near expiring. In case you were telling me the price because you thought I disagreed that it's cheaper in India, I don't. My point was R&D cost is not the reason why common drugs are cheaper.
- praneshp 12y agoHey, I meant essential drugs in India! Sorry for the confusion. Also, the term I should have used was "Life saving drugs". An example would be Sorbitrate (http://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/sorbitrate http://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/sorbitrate). Crocin is not something that falls in that category in India.
- lake99 12y agoI'm afraid I don't get your point. Isosorbide dinitride costs about US-35$-75$ [1] and IN-0.4$ [2], about 100 tablets in both cases. The patent was published in 1979, so it should have long expired by now, and would be a generic drug[3]. Whatever the German company spent on R&D would have been recovered before the patent expired. [1] http://www.goodrx.com/isosorbide-dinitrate http://www.goodrx.com/isosorbide-dinitrate [2] http://medlineindia.com/cardiovascular/isosorbide_dinitrate.htm http://medlineindia.com/cardiovascular/isosorbide_dinitrate.... [3] http://www.google.com/patents/US4156736 http://www.google.com/patents/US4156736
- praneshp 12y agoMy point is somewhat similar to yours. R+D is only one reason pushing drug prices up. But some life saving drugs are cheaper in India because the government subsidizes their cost, which doesn't happen in the US.
- kamaal 12y agoPrices aren't low. They are actually pretty much high for an ordinary Indian. They appear low to you because if you pay in dollars you get 60 rupees for ever dollar. So its the currency conversion factor is what makes it look low.
- praneshp 12y agoI might be slightly off. But not by more than 1.5 - 2 times. It's not a really bad salary, I agree it's not awesome either.