Objective: Analysis of Antimalarial Drug Policy in India.
Subject/Method: Policy Analysis and Secondary Research Re-view.
Findings: Drug list expanded extensively and the drug dose intensity is proportional to disease transmission in region/area; medicalizing the community significantly. The conceptual understanding of malaria remains within bio- medicine domain evidenced by the fact that much of importance (over-reliance) given to least effective individual level technical interventions like drugs that too; without considering immunity and nutritional status of both individual and community. Indian planners seems confused to differentiate (or ignoring) between Malaria’sbehavior at individual level and community level. Thus, the Malaria planning lacks ethical consideration for resource allocation in Public Health Planning evidenced by the fact that large resources allocated to least effective intervention that serves the profit making purpose of private sector pharma industry. Sufferings of the most impoverished household of community remain unad- dressed in health planning. Policy is unable to serve its primary purpose of relieving suffering of community, prevention of mortalities, reducing morbidities, slowing down the resistance, and reducing drug load in community.
Conclusion: The investment in medications to tackle malaria as Public Health problem looks costly investments as it consumes heavy resources and its benefits/success claim is questionable. There is mismatch in planning and field reality as intervention in the form of drugs does not match the requirement as per epidemiological complexity. Health planning is comprehensive exercise for any country. Ignoring voices from field/frontline workersprovedetrimental for health planning. Every orga- nization or individual involved in health planning would be having different opinions as per their interest but the final decision regarding resource allocation should consider the field reality following good public health ethics.
