But central government should take initiate with some effective measures to effectively check misuse of harmful steroids by their mixing with some practitioners of unani, ayurvedic and homeopathic treatment to mislead their client-patients about their ‘expertise’ through instant and quick relief.
It is a known fact that use of steroids without proper allopathic medical advice is extremely harmful with body not accepting any medicine in later life. I myself experienced when my mother who was an asthmatic patient died at an early age of 58 years because she regularly consumed an ayurvedic powder which was later confessed by the practitioner having been mixed with steroids. Even that powder was marketed in a big way throughout the country like a branded medicine in dose-wise packs.
Best remedy is that Central government may establish its own production units for all types of medicines including allopathic, unani, homeopathic and ayurvedic like once it had Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL) to provide cheaper branded medicines in all fields of medicines so that it may be feasible to impose a total ban on unbranded and unregistered branded medicines.
This will make drug-manufacturers to reduce prices of medicines where presently they are minting money out of their brand-names. Central government should also test range of products marketed by a popular company of Uttarakhand where even ‘pure’ honey is being advertised to cost just at Rs 70 per 250 gms against Rs 122 of branded honey. Samples should be picked from random retail outlets rather than manufacturing unit to avoid company giving fake but pure products for sampling.
Special care should be towards commonly used products like honey because sugar-mixed honey is very harmful for diabetic patients who are in a very large proportion in the country. Severe punishment including long imprisonment should be there for marketing adulterated products under popular brand-names.
