PUNJAB

Medical Reps To Campaign Against Drug Companies

Charan Singh Virdi

THE two-day 4th conference of Punjab and Chandigarh Medical and Sales Representatives Union (PCMSRU), affiliated to the CITU, concluded successfully at Chandigarh on October 18, 2004 with the adoption of a plan to launch a sustained campaign amongst doctors, chemists and people to expose the black-marketeering of medicines by drug companies.

The conference, attended by about 400 delegates from Punjab and Chandigarh, was addressed among others by Balwant Singh, CITU state president, Raghunath Singh, CITU state general secretary and R Vishwnathan, FMRAI president.

GRAVE SITUATION

The report of the general secretary expressed grave concern on the situation prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry of the country in the wake of the WTO regime and the recent changes in the patent provisions. The new health policy of the central government, which is an integral part of the neo-liberal economic policies, has played havoc with medical facilities available to the common people. The modern health care system is put beyond the reach of the majority of the Indian people, with drug prices, including essential drugs, reaching the sky. The Indian drug industry has become more dependent upon imports. The drug industry, dominated by multinationals, is resorting to the sale of spurious drugs by using various unethical practices. Black marketeering and duplicate drug manufacturing is the order of the day in rampant violation of the law.

The report noted with alarm that the share of spurious drugs and the black market is a whopping 40 per cent of the Rs 20,000 crore pharmaceutical market.

The report further observed that the drug companies are increasingly squeezing the employees, particularly the field workers. On the one hand, field workers are being thrown out of regular employment with impunity while, on the other hand, casualisation of field workers is on the rise, accompanied by low wages as well as poor working and service conditions. With high levels of unemployment a reality, the companies are resorting to severe exploitation of field workers. The report reviewed a number of struggles and campaigns carried out by the union during the last two years in pursuance of the nine point demands raised with the drug companies, central government and state governments.

Sixteen delegates took part in the discussion on the report and enriched the report with their valuable suggestions while generally endorsing the main formulations of the report. The report was unanimously adopted amidst thundering slogans like “Long Live PCMRSU” and “Long Live CITU”.

The conference unanimously adopted a number of resolutions, including one demanding an immediate stop to victimisation of field workers as resorted to by various drug companies like Wockhardt, Sun Pharma and FDC; revision of works category on the sale promotion employees of Punjab and Chandigarh as highly skilled workers and notification of the minimum wages accordingly; ensure implementation of all provisions of Sales Promotion Employees Act by the employers along with stringent action against those guilty of violation of the act; these were the themes of the resolutions. One resolution expressed strong opposition to the ongoing commercialisation of health services.

The conference unanimously elected 11 office bearers. It also re-elected Inderjeet Singh and Amarjeet Singh Sawhney as president and general secretary respectively.

DHARNA

On the concluding day, the delegates held a massive dharna in front of the office of Punjab labour commissioner in Sector 17, Chandigarh. They, along with 600 members of the union, went to the labour office in a colourful procession from the venue of the conference, i.e. BTR Nagar, Bhakna Bhawn, Sector 20 D, Chandigarh.

The dharna was addressed by Vijay Misra, working president of Punjab CITU. A memorandum listing various demands of the union was also presented to the labour commissioner of Punjab.

The main demand is of ensuring implementation of the Sales Promotions Employees Act, 1976. (INN)